VIJAYAWADA, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

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VVIIJJAAYYAAWWAADDAAWWEEAATTHHEERR

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated NOVEMBER 21, 2021 5:00 PM

FFoorreeccaasstt:: ThunderstormTTeemmpp:: 28HHuummiiddiittyy:: 88%SSuunnrriissee:: 6:24 amSSuunnsseett:: 05:39 pm

AALLMMAANNAACC

TTOODDAAYY

Month & Paksham:

Kartik & Shukla Paksha

Tithi : Tritiya 22:26

Nakshatram : Mrigashirsha 10:43

Time to Avoid : Time to Avoid

(Bad time to start any important work)

Rahukalam : 7:51 am - 9:15 am

Yamagandam : 10:38 am - 12:02 pm

Varjyam : 8:11 pm - 9:59 pm

Gulika : 1:25 pm - 2:49 pm

Good Time : (to start any

important work)

Amritakalam : 2:29 am - 4:17 am

Abhijit Muhurtham : 11:39 am - 12:24 pm

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

INS Visakhapatnam, a P15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, was com-missioned into the Indian Navy inthe presence of Defence MinisterRajnath Singh at the NavalDockyard, Mumbai, on Sunday.The event marks the formal induc-tion of the first of the four‘Visakhapatnam’ class destroyers,indigenously designed by the IndianNavy’s in-house organisationDirectorate of Naval Design andconstructed by Mazagon DockShipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.

While commissioning the ship,the Defence Minister said that INSVisakhapatnam is a symbol of thegrowing maritime prowess of thecountry and a major milestone inachieving Prime Minister NarendraModi’s vision of ‘Make in India,

Make for the World’. Rajnath Singhexuded confidence that the state-of-the-art ship, equipped with the lat-est systems and weapons, wouldstrengthen maritime security andprotect the interests of the Nation.He defined the ship as one of themost technologically advancedguided-missile destroyers in theworld which would cater to thepresent and future requirements ofthe Armed Forces and the nation.

“The carrier will increase ourreach from the Indian Ocean to thePacific and the Atlantic Ocean. Itscommissioning will be a goldenmoment in the history of the IndianDefence. It will be the best occasionto celebrate the 75th anniversary ofIndia's independence and the 50thanniversary of India's victory in the1971 war,” Rajnath Singh said.

The steps include simplification

of licensing process; speeding upAcceptance of Necessity (AoN) &Request for Proposal (RFP) process;setting up of Defence IndustrialCorridors in Uttar Pradesh & TamilNadu; positive indigenous lists ofover 200 items; Defence AcquisitionProcedure 2020 and earmarking

around 64 per cent of its moderni-sation funds under capital acquisi-tion budget for 2021-22 for procure-ment from domestic companies, theDefence Minister claimed.

INS Visakhapatnam measures163 m in length, 17 m in breadthwith a displacement of 7,400 tons

and can rightfully be regarded asone of the most potent warships tohave been constructed in India. Theship is packed with sophisticatedstate-of-the-art weapons and sen-sors such as Surface-to-Surfacemissiles and Surface-to-Air missiles.It is fitted with modern surveillance

radar which provides target data tothe gunnery weapon systems of theship. The anti-submarine warfarecapabilities are provided by theindigenously developed rocketlaunchers, torpedo launchers andASW helicopters. The ship isequipped to fight under Nuclear,Biological and Chemical (NBC)warfare conditions.

Some of the major indigenisedequipment/system onboard INSVisakhapatnam include CombatManagement System, RocketLauncher, Torpedo Tube Launcher,Integrated Platform ManagementSystem, Automated PowerManagement System, FoldableHangar Doors, Helo Traversingsystem, Close-in Weapon Systemand the Bow mounted SONAR.

Navy inducts indigenously designed ‘INS Visakhapatnam’

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The cyclonic storm that hit the Statein the past one week has left agri-cultural and horticultural crops inabout 2.5 lakh hectares damaged inthe Rayalaseema region. Extensivecrop loss was reported fromChittoor, Nellore, Kadapa andAnantapur districts.

According to governmentsources, agricultural crops in2,38,399 hectares and horticulturalcrops in 18,630 hectares were dam-aged in the Rayalaseema districts.

Kadapa and Chottoor districtswere the worst hit among the fourRayalaseema districts that werebadly affected due to the cyclone. InKadapa, 1,26,167 hectares of agri-cultural crops and 17,912 hectaresof horticultural crops were dam-aged. In Anantapur, 90,498 agricul-tural crops and horticultural cropsin 616 hectares were damaged. InNellore, 12,118 hectares of agricul-tural crops and 101 hectares of hor-ticultural crops were damaged whilein Chittoor 9,616 hectares of agri-cultural crops were damaged due totorrential rains.

As many as 24 people had losttheir lives while the highest numberof 13 death was reported reportedfrom Kadapa. About 17 people arestill missing. In all, 36,279 peoplewere affected while 2007 houses weredamaged, causing an estimated lossof Rs 518 lakh. A total of 1,131 hous-es were either marooned or inundat-ed due to the cyclone storm.

As regards the livestock loss in thefour districts, 671 large animals and1,845 small animals had perishedapart from 3,241 poultry birds,

amounting to a total loss of Rs 247lakh.

On the other hand, 181 mandalswere affected in four districts andfour towns. In all, 23 villages were

inundated while 1,366 villages wereeither affected in the above said fourdistricts.

The government has set up 274relief camps in four affected dis-

tricts, 31,827 people were evacuat-ed to safer places and given accom-modation in relief camps. About64,914 food packets were distributedalong with drinking water sachets.In Chittoor, 750 MT rice was dis-tributed free of cost to the affected.

The State government hasreleased an amount of Rs 2 crorerelief to Chittoor district, Rs 1.50crore to Nellore, Rs 1 crore toAnantapur and Rs 2.50 crore toKadapa district for relief operations.

Special assistance of Rs 1,000 perperson and a maximum of Rs 2,000per family was distributed to thosewho are sheltered in relief camps.Special officers for Chittoor, Kadapaand Nellore have been appointed.

Crops in 2.5 L hectares damaged

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS Jagan MohanReddy has directed the ministers incharge of districts and MLAs of theareas affected by the heavy rainsand floods to be present in theirrespective areas and to oversee therelief works.

The Chief Minister directed theparty leaders to tour villages andensure that immediate relief isprovided to the people. He direct-ed the ministers and MLAs to bringvarious issues to the notice of theauthorities, try to resolve them, andto stand by the flood victims till the

situation becomes normal.He instructed the party leaders

to coordinate with officials andcomplete sanitation and drainageworks in the towns. He orderedsteps to prevent the spread ofinfections in flood-prone areas,distribute rations to the victims, and

accurately assess the damage done.He asked them to ensure that thefarmers whose crops weredestroyed are provided with seedsfor re-cultivation. He instructed theMLAs of flood-affected areas not toattend Assembly sessions and con-tinue to monitor the relief works.

CM asks ministers, MLAs to oversee relief ops

31,827 people sheltered in 274 relief camps

Telugu CMs meetat wedding of TSgirl, AP boy

PNS n NELLORE

In a significant development, theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Stateleaders on Sunday participated inthe Maha Padayatra, being takenout by the farmers of Amaravatiregion in protest against the shift-ing of the Executive Capital cityfrom Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.

BJP State leaders, including Statepresident Somu Veerraju, MPs YSujana Chowdary, CM Ramesh,and D Purandeswari, joined thewalkathon at Kavali in Nelloredistrict and extended their solidar-ity with the agitators. They tookpart in the padayatra and walkedalong with the farmers.

Addressing the agitating farm-ers in Nellore, MP SujanaChowdary said that the BJP isextending support to the one-cap-ital concept. The BJP wantsAmaravati to be the only Capitalcity in the AP State.

The BJP MP said that on thedirections of BJP leadership, theState party leaders were participat-

ing in the Maha Padayatra toextend solidarity with the farmers.He made it clear that the BJP lead-ers do not heed the ruling YSRCPleaders’ comments that the Capitalcity would be shifted toVisakhapatnam. "The Capital issuedoes not belong to 29 Amaravatiregion villages but to all the 13 dis-tricts in the State', he said.

“The people trusted ChiefMinister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy

and elected him. Now the truecolours of Jaganmohan Reddy areexposed. We assure that the farm-ers in Amaravati region will notsuffer any loss,” Chowdary said.

Somu Veerraju recalled that theCentral government had givenfunds for the construction of theCapital city Amaravati and theCapital city would remain inAmaravati.

SNV SUDHIRn VIJAYAWADA

In a major relief to senior bureau-crat Poonam Malakondiah, theState government has dropped fur-ther action against her into the alle-gations of large scale irregularitiesand misappropriation of fundsrelated to the National HealthMission and AP Med Tech Zone(AMTZ). While the govern-ment issued an order lastmonth dropping furtheraction, it came to lightonly recently.

While the allegationsabout misappropriationof funds and proceduralirregularities againstPoonam Malakon daiah whowas the then chairperson of AMTZand its MD & CEO Jitendra Sharmasurfaced sometime in 2017, the theninterim government had ordered a

detailed inquiry by theState Vigilance and

Enforce ment ( V & E)department on May 2,2019, after theAssembly polls andasked it to submit a

report within twomonths for taking fur-

ther action. The V&Edepartment sleuths submitted

an interim report in September2019.

State BJP leaders join farmers’ walkathon

SNCN ACHARYULUn HYDERABAD

After more than a year, the twoTelugu Chief Ministers – KChandrasekhar Rao and YSJaganmohan Reddy – met onSunday in Hyderabad to bless theunion of a girl from Telanganaand groom from Andhra Pradesh.

‘No adverseremarks in anyof CAG audits’

2

A bridge across the Papagni River, near Kamalapuram town in Kadapa district, collapsed due to heavy floods on Sunday. Thebridge was constructed about 44 years ago. No one was injured in the incident.

PNS n NELLORE

Though Union Home MinisterAmit Shah directed the State BJPleaders to participate in theMaha Padayatra and extend sup-port to the farmers, MP GVLNarasimha Rao, general secretaryVishnuvardhan Reddy and APAffairs co-incharge SunilDehodar were found missingamong the BJP leaders who wentto Nellore to participate in themarch today.

The absence of GVL,Vishnuvardhan Reddy andSunil Deodhar has triggered adebate among the BJP seniorleaders in the State. “The threesenior leaders disregarded AmitShah’s advice to take part inMaha Padayatra. We do notknow their strategy,” a seniorBJP leader, who wantedanonymity, said.

COMPENSATE KIN OF FARM PROTESTVICTIMS FROM PM CARES FUND: RAUT

Claiming that more than 700 farmers died during the year-long protest against the three contentions farm laws, ShivSena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday demanded that the kin of

the deceased be given financial assistance from the PM CARESFund, two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announceda repeal of the three legislations. Speaking to reporters here,Raut claimed that many tillers had died at the protest site nearDelhi while some committed suicide and others killed in policefiring. Some were crushed to death in Lakhimpur Kheri. All ofthem were protesting against the farm laws, he said.

CHILD ABUSE EVIDENT IN PROSPEROUSFAMILIES TOO, REMINDS SMRITI IRANI

There is a presumption amongst many that child abuse islimited to families that are poor, but in reality it is as muchevident in prosperous families too, Union minister Smriti

Irani said on Sunday. Addressing the National Workshop onChild Rights with Emphasis on Preventive Aspects of ChildProtection Issues, she urged participants to look into abusethat happens in prosperous families, powerful organisationsand in childcare institutions. "And how can we not asadministrators, but as citizens find solutions," the UnionWomen and Child Development minister told the participants.

RAJ CABINET REJIG: PILOT'S PEOPLEGET BERTHS, BIGGER SAY FOR SCS

Fifteen ministers took the oath in Rajasthan on Sunday in aCabinet expansion that included 12 new faces, fulfilling akey demand of former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot whose

rebellion last year shook the state's Congress government. The11 cabinet-rank and four ministers of state (MoS) sworn in byGovernor Kalraj Mishra included five considered to be in thePilot camp. Among them were Vishvendra Singh and RameshMeena, back now as cabinet-rank ministers after being sackedduring the revolt. The list included three MoS, all Dalits, fromthe old team who were elevated to the cabinet rank.

CRYPTOCURRENCY-FUELLED ‘BITCOINCITY’ TO COME UP IN EL SALVADOR

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced that hisgovernment will build an oceanside Bitcoin City at the baseof a volcano. Bukele used a gathering of Bitcoin

enthusiasts to launch his latest idea, much as he used anearlier Bitcoin conference in Miami to announce in a videomessage that El Salvador would be the first country to makethe cryptocurrency legal tender. He said that 60 days afterfinancing was ready, construction would begin. The govern-ment will provide land and infrastructure and work to attractinvestors and the only tax collected will be the value-added tax.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The death toll in the floods andrain-affected Kadapa, Nellore, andChittoor districts, has risen to 28even as a railway track was badlydamaged, a portion of the bridgeacross the Papagni River collapsed,and NH-16 at Kovur breached.

Two bodies of a youth and hiselder sister were fished out in theKadapa district. They were washedaway while crossing the MandavyaRiver on Saturday. As many as 17people are still missing, accordingto sources.

Though Kadapa district is limp-ing back to normal, the PennaRiver floodwater created havocon Sunday. Twelve people werewashed away in the Rajampet divi-sion, six people were killed in

house-collapse, two siblings werewashed away in Mandavya River inKadapa district, an NDRF consta-ble was washed away in Nellore dis-trict while a civil constableSrinivasa Rao was drowned in thefloodwater at Damaramadugu vil-lage in Buchireddypalem mandalwhen he was taking part in rescueoperations.

Two bodies were found in theSomasila reservoir and the otherslost their lives in the floodwaters atvarious places in the Nellore districtin different incidents.

A railway track between Nellore-Padugupadu stations on theChennai-Vijayawada section wasbadly damaged. The railwayauthorities cancelled train servic-es on the route. Two of the threerailway tracks were hanging as the

bunds under the track were washedaway. A bridge across the PapagniRiver near Kamalapuram town inKadapa district collapsed on astretch of about 50 meters. Thebridge caved in due to heavy floodsto the river. It was constructedabout 44 years ago, officials told themedia.

The vehicular traffic onTadipatri-Kadapa was divertedthrough another route. About 50 mof the road at Rajupalem in Kadapadistrict was also badly damaged,forcing the authorities to diverttraffic. Railway passengers allegedthat they were left in the middle ofthe journey and they were walkingseveral kilometres to reach a near-by town in Nellore district.

Absence of GVL,Sunil, Vishnusparks debate

Relief to senior bureaucratPoonam as govt drops action

AMTZ SCAM

Cotton crop marooned in flood water in Prakasam district

Toll rises to 28, bridge caves in;railway track, NH 16 damaged2

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vijayawada 02VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2021

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(IN VIJAYAWADA)

Monday MirchiSwachh Sansar and

babus in Telugu StatesWorld Toilet Day, observed on 19

November every year under the aegis of theUnited Nations, is intended mainly to raiseawareness about the importance of sanita-tion and inspire collective action to tackle theglobal sanitation crisis. This year's WorldToilet Day (WTD) theme is "valuing toilets".The theme aims to stress the absolute neces-sity of toilets in our lives. In other words, itis Swachh Sansar or the equivalent ofSwachh Bharat -- Clean India Mission, acountry-wide campaign initiated by theGovernment of India in 2014 to eliminateopen defecation and improve solid wastemanagement - on a global scale. At least twobabus in Telugu States hogged the limelighton WTD this year: one for setting up pub-lic toilets and another for cleaning a com-mode ostensibly to dispel the stigma. ASCIProfessor V Srinivas Chary was all praise forSpecial Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar.Terming him as "A true ambassador of pub-lic health", the ASCI Professor thankedArvind for his immense contribution andsupport for promoting safe sanitation,hygiene and, environmental protection.Another retired IAS officer Murali Aknuriwent to a government school and cleaned itstoilet, which appeared to be clean already.Murali said that there was stigma aboutcleaning toilets. He went a step further andpraised the AP Chief Minister for being high-ly humane in talking about maintenance ofschool toilets.

Collectors go beyond call of duty

The world may not change if you adopt achild, but the adopted child's world willchange for sure. This happened recentlywhen Nirmal Collector Musharraf AliFaruqui adopted an orphan from his district,amid encomiums. IT Minister KT Rama Rao,upon coming to know that both parents ofthe child died due to unfortunate circum-stances, had asked the Collector to take careof the child's well being. This also movedBharat Biotech's JMD and co-founderSuchitra Ella, who was all praise and said"Humility touches humanity". She too offeredto support the girl child. Likewise,Mahabubnagar Collector came forward tohelp a girl pursue MBBS with the help of theRed Cross Society. Collector S Venkata Rao,at the behest of KTR, said that they wouldtake care of the girl's education and otherneeds 100%.

Differing styles of digitalmedia directors of TS and AP

Digital media directors of Andhra Pradeshand Telangana State were no doubt hand-picked by AP Chief Minister JaganmohanReddy and TS IT Minister KT Rama Raorespectively. Yet, their styles of functioningpresent a starkly contrasting picture. Beingin government service, TS Digital Media

Director Dileep Konatham does not active-ly contribute to TRS' party trends on socialmedia platforms. On the other hand, his APcounterpart Devender Reddy Gurrampatihas been more of a spokesman of YSRCPthan a government servant at least onTwitter. Netizens are critical of the APDirector as he has not been fulfilling his jobas chief of the digital wing of the Governmentof AP. For instance, they point out, whenparts of AP were facing the worst rains andfloods in many, many years; there were notweets from him on weather alerts, rehabil-itation etc.

Nose for news-making action

Babus shine when they cultivate the nosefor news-making action that brings glory tothe government, be it at the state or centrallevel. This explains why senior bureaucratPraveen Prakash is bandied about as the"most trusted aide of Chief Minister YSJaganMohan Reddy". One incident thattook place recently demonstrates his quickreflexes upon Jagan's orders. While going tothe Gannavaram Airport, the Chief Ministerwas offended by stench emanating from aparticular stretch of the road leading to theairport. He asked his team to check the rea-son. Praveen jumped into action, threwprakash (light) on the spot in question, and,along with a battery of senior bureaucrats,combed the area to pinpoint the source ofthe stench. The babus found that the stenchwas due to sewage entering a stream. Thanksto Praveen's perceptive intervention, it isbeing repaired now.

The all-weather trouble-shooter

It is hard to come by committed andaccomplished bureaucrats who, with con-summate skills, excel in their work always;regardless of the department to which theyare posted and the number of portfolios theyalready hold. The quintessence is the multi-tasking, senior bureaucrat Dr KS JawaharReddy, who is deemed to be an efficient offi-cer by his peers and political bosses alike. Inthe recent reshuffle of bureaucrats, JawaharReddy was appointed as Special ChiefSecretary of the crucial Andhra Pradesh StateWater Resources Department. Not unexpect-edly, he will continue to hold the coveted postof TTD Executive Officer. The talk amonghis peers is that either the government boss-es could not find a suitable replacement forhim or there is too much competition for thecoveted post, making it difficult for the gov-ernment to zero in on the right person.Jawahar Reddy was the man of the momentin the past too. He was appointed as chair-person of the Covid Command Control cen-tre upon its revival during the second waveof Covid-19. He was asked to join the con-trol centre immediately. He had then shift-ed his TTD camp office to Vijayawada so asto work on both the jobs simultaneously.

—Yours truly

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Senior BJP leader DPurandeswari has said thatthe BJP is committed to thedevelopment of the State.The BJP government at theCentre has already fulfilled50 percent of the promises asper the AP ReorganisationAct. Addressing the mediabefore leaving for Nellore atVijayawada on Sunday, shesaid the BJP government didnot back out in extendingsupport to the State in allaspects.

Even while the State wasreeling under financialcrunch, the BJP governmentat the Centre extended finan-

cial support to the State. Thedevelopment that had takenplace in the State was due tothe financial support extend-ed by the Centre, she said.

She said that attacks onagitating farmers were notcorrect and made it clear thatthe BJP was offering tacit

support to Amaravati farm-ers and now they were direct-ly taking in their agitation.She recalled that the Centrehad allocated Rs 1,500 crorefor Amaravati development.

Purandeswari said theLegislative Assembly was asacred place where laws aremade. She expressed concernover use of unparliamentarylanguage in the House.Instead of discussing people'sissues, a different kind ofatmosphere was prevailing inthe legislative bodies. Insteadof the CM explaining to thePM about the floods, it wasthe latter who called on JaganMohan Reddy to know aboutthe situation, she added.

BJP committed to AP’sprogress: Purandeswari

Continued from Page 1

In Kadapa, over 900 passengerswere stranded in the railwaystation as the railway officialscancelled train services abrupt-ly following breaches to railwaytracks at various places. TheTungabadrha, Penna,Sunkesula and the Somasilarivers are in spate with heavyinflows.

The National Highway 16was badly damaged near Kovurin the Nellore district with thePenna River being in spate. TheChennai-Kolkata road wasdamaged on a stretch of about200 meters. Vehicular traffic onthe busy Vijayawada-Nellorewas disrupted. Vehicles werestranded on a stretch of about5 km on either side of the road.The police stopped the vehicleson the Tirupati-Srikalahastihighway at Thottambedu checkpost and diverted the traffic viaKadapa, Pamuru and Darsi

Sources said that irrigationtanks, canals, nalas and minorreservoirs were breached at666 places in the four districts.As many as 17 teams of nation-al and state disaster responseforces were deployed for therescue operations. Two heli-copters were pressed into ser-vice for rescue operations.

Meanwhile, the flood victimswere facing an ordeal as theyhad lost everything in theCheyyur rivulet flash floods in

the Kadapa district. Talking to the media, G

Kondaiah, a farmer at Nilipalli,one of the villages which borethe brunt of the flash flood saidthat they had lost their Aadhaarcards, ration cards, and allproperty as they left theirhomes to save lives. Manyhouses in the village were eitherfully collapsed and partially.Neck-deep water suddenlygushed into their villages, hesaid.

“No official has visited ourvillage so far. Neither food norwater has been offered to us.We are starving in the village.All livestock and property werewashed away in the flashfloods,” Kondaiah lamented,adding that some voluntaryorganisations were providingthem with some food andwater. So is the situation atThogurupet village inRajupalem mandal. The villagetasted the fury of the Cheyyuruflood. Collapsed houses,uprooted trees and electricalpoles were seen in the villagewhich stood testimony to thefury of nature. The situation insome other villages is no differ-ent in the Rajampet division.

Many villages in Kadapa andNellore districts were plungedinto darkness as electrical poleswere uprooted. In Chittoor dis-trict, several villages are inknee-deep water while people

in various colonies in Tirupatiwere seen draining out waterfrom their houses. The NDRFpersonnel rescued Tollywoodhero Nandamuri Tarakaratnaand other film actors apartfrom their crew when they gotstuck in floods at Saluchintalavillage in Kovur mandal ofNellore district.

Toll rises to 28, bridge caves in...

Crops in 2.5L hectaresdamagedContinued from Page 1

One helicopter wasdeployed in the Anantapurdistrict and another in theKadapa district. Rescueoperations were undertak-en by NDRF, SDRF, AirForce and Fire Servicesdepartment in the affecteddistricts. Seven persons,including a Circle Inspectorat Hemadripuram, wererescued while another wassaved from being sweptaway in Papagni River.

As many as 35 personsfrom three APSRTC buses,which were stuck in flood-water in Cheyyeru, wererescued apart from manyothers during the rescueoperations.

Continued from Page 1

The bridegroom was RohitReddy, the son of Jagan’sOfficer on Special Duty PKrishna Mohan Reddy andthe bride was SnigdhaReddy, the granddaughter ofTelangana Assembly SpeakerPocharam Srinivasa Reddy.

While the presence of thetwo Chief Ministers multi-plied the joy of the newly-weds, it also brought a smileto the face of all those pre-sent since the relationsbetween KCR and Jaganhave been strained for sometime now.

However, bonhomie wasvisible on Sunday at thewedding venue where KCRreached before Jagan. Aftersome time, Jagan arrived atthe venue and he wentstraight to the TelanganaChief Minister and shookhands. The two ChiefMinisters sat side by side andblessed the newlywedstogether.

This was the first meetingof both the Chief Ministersafter the dispute over watersharing between AP andTelangana escalated and thelaunch of a political party byYS Sharmila.

Telugu CMs meetat wedding of TSgirl, AP boy Continued from Page 1

In its interim report, Vigilanceand Enforcement DirectorGeneral said that as per the pre-liminary enquiry based on theavailable information prima facieobserved financial and proce-dural irregularities and that theAMTZ has not furnished furtherrecords, files required for con-ducting detailed enquiry.

Later, a copy of the interimreport has been sent to theMedical and Health depart-ment for taking necessaryaction on the observationsmade by the Vigilance andEnforcement Department.

The government after hav-ing examined the materialavailable, sought to obtain theversion of Dr PoonamMalakondaiah, on the findingsof the Vigilance andEnforcement department inthe interim report.

The V & E department hadfound prima facie irregularitiesranging from appointment ofProject ManagementConsultancy (PMC) to award-ing infrastructure works wortha few hundreds of crores ofrupees. The senior bureaucrat

had submitted her version inSeptember this year andrequested to drop furtheraction in the matter.

While denying all allega-tions on the affairs of APMTZ,she requested to close the caseagainst her and Dr JitenderSharma.

“After a careful examinationof the matter, it is observed thatthe department published ten-der notification on the depart-mental website. The genuine-ness of the document submit-ted by KPMG were verifiedand the officials ofGovernment of India are partof the Board which took alldecisions and ratifications. Theestimates and quality of equip-ment was scrutinised by thetechnical committee who aredeputed from National Premierinstitutes like IIT, BARC,ISOMED etc., and no competi-tor/supplier have ever beencontested the process . Inrespect of allegation on entrust-ing to LANCO, the DirectorGeneral, ACB in his reportdated April 10, 2018 held thatthe allegation is not proved andthe government accepted thereport and issued orders drop-

ping further action. Taking thesaid facts into consideration,Government decided to drop

further action in the matter.Accordingly, government here-by drop further action in the

matter,” said a G O issued bychief secretary Sameer Sharmaon October 4.

Relief to senior bureaucrat Poonam as govt drops action

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Senior bureaucrat PoonamMalakondiah in her versionsubmitted to the governmentsaid that there were no adverseremarks in any of the CAGaudits which are conductedregularly for AMTZ. She alsosaid that there are no courtcases on any of the tenders byany bidder. The work of AMTZPhase-I was undertaken in amammoth manner and con-struction of 14 Lakh Sq. Feetwas completed in 342 daysbetween January 3 andDecember 12, 2018, she said.

On December 13 2018WHO Global Forum on med-ical devices was held in AMTZ

wherein more than 1200 dele-gates from 92 countries haveparticipated. This was the firsttime United Nations meetingon medical devices was heldoutside of Geneva, theHeadquarters of WHO.

“That the AMTZ is nowrecognised by WHO as World’sMedical Equipment Zone e andNiti Ayog has requested fordevelopment of four more suchzones in the country. NoTender of AMTZ or any of itscentres for any construction,technical, consultancy, instru-mentation or supplies havebeen ever contested in anycourt by any bidders, competi-tor or supplier. Several nation-al and international centres/

secretariats are located inAMTZ. It was conceived,implemented by and opera-tionalised by Dr JitenderSharma and decisions imple-mented were taken by theBoard of Directors of AMTZ,”she said and added that theworks done were as per normsand were given to the lowestbidder by calling tender.Payments were made as perrules while the contract value asper DPR is Rs 367.20 Cr, thecontract value as per bid isRs.357.52 Cr. “There are nocourt cases on any of the ten-ders by any bidder. This Parkis appreciated nationally at allforums and is the first of its kindin South East Asia.

No adverse remarks in any ofCAG audits,says Poonam

Continued from Page 1

Veerraju found fault with thegovernment’s attitude againstAmaravati farmers’ MahaPadayatra and alleged that thepolice were behaving rudelywith the farmers taking part inthe padayatra. He demandedthat the government and thepolice cooperate with the agitat-ing farmers who took up thewalkathon.

“The BJP leaders will contin-ue to participate in the MahaPadayatra until it concludes,” heannounced.

MP CM Ramesh found faultwith the police for acting in abiased manner.

Purandeswari condemnedthe police for resorting to lathi-charge on the agitators.

Ravela Kishore Babu,

Kamineni Srinivas C Adinarayana Reddy and other leaderswho took part in the padayatratoday.

Though the Amaravati farm-ers launched their marathonwalkathon on November 1 andit has been going ahead toTirupati since then after over-coming various hurdles createdby the government, the BJP sofar has not extended their sup-port and maintained distancefrom taking part in the paday-atra.

When Amit Shah went toTirupati to attend the SZCmeeting, some BJP leaders con-vinced him that the BJP shouldextend support to the agitatingAmaravati region farmers. AmitShah asked the AP BJP leadersto extend solidarity with the agi-tating Amaravati farmers.

State BJP leaders joinfarmers’ walkathon

Continued from Page 1

Named after the historic cityof Andhra Pradesh on the eastcoast, Visakhapatnam, the‘City of Destiny’, the ship hasa total complement of about315 personnel. Enhanced crewcomfort is a significant featureof INS Visakhapatnam, whichhas been ensured throughergonomically designedaccommodation based on‘modular’ concepts. The ship

will be under the command ofCaptain Birendra Singh Bains,a Navigation and Directionspecialist. Chief of the NavalStaff Admiral Karambir Singh,Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western NavalCommand Vice AdmiralR.Hari Kumar, Chairman andManaging Director, MazagonDock Shipbuilders LimitedVice Admiral Narayan Prasad(Retd) were present.

Navy inducts indigenouslydesigned ‘INS Visakhapatnam’

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Union Cabinet islikely to take up forapproval on Wednesdaythe Bills for withdrawal ofthe three farm laws,sources in the govern-ment said.

These Bills shall thenbe introduced in theforthcoming session ofParliament, they added.

Prime MinisterNarendra Modi had onFriday announced on theoccasion of Gurupurabthe government's inten-tion to withdraw the lawsin the interest of thenation.

The winter session ofParliament would com-mence from November29.

Demanding the with-drawal of the laws, agitat-ing farmers sitting atthree sites on Delhi's bor-ders since November lastyear have said they willstay put till Parliamentrepeals them.

The government willnow bring Bills for thewithdrawal of the threefarm laws in Parliamentfollowing the PrimeMinister's announce-ment.

PNS n LUCKNOW

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha(SKM), an umbrella body offarmers unions, will hold amahapanchayat in Lucknowon Monday to press for lawguaranteeing MSP and the sack-ing of Union Minister AjayMishra, whose son is anaccused in the LakhimpurKheri violence.

The gathering, scheduled tobe held at Eco Garden in UttarPradesh capital, was plannedmonths before Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Fridayannounced repealing the three

contentious agri laws. TheSKM, at a meet in Delhi onSunday, decided to stick to thedate.

Despite the Prime Minister'ssurprise announcement, farmerleaders have maintained theprotesters won't budge until thethree contentious laws are for-mally repealed in Parliament.They have also indicated the sirfor a statutory guarantee ofMinimum Support Price (MSP)and withdrawal of theElectricity Amendment Bill willcontinue.

In a tweet on Sunday,Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU)

national spokesperson RakeshTikait gave a call to farmers togather in Lucknow for the'Kisan Mahapanchayat'demanding statutory MSPguarantee.

In another tweet in Hindi, heclaimed, "The farm reformsbeing talked about by the gov-ernment is false and cosmetic.These will not end the plight ofthe farmers. The biggest reformfor the farmers and agriculturewill be to make a law guaran-teeing minimum support price."

Vice-president of the BKU'sUttar Pradesh unit HarnamSingh Verma told PTI, "The

prime minister has announcedthe repeal of the three farmlaws, but he did not say whenthe MSP law will be made. Untila law is made guaranteeingMSP and Union Minister ofState for Home Ajay Mishra isremoved from his post, theagitation will continue."

Four farmers were allegedlymowed down by an SUV in theLakhimpur Kheri district, thenative place of the Union min-ister on October 3. In the ensu-ing violence, four people,including a journalist and twoBJP workers, were also killed.

Over a dozen people, includ-

ing the minister's son AshishMishra, have been arrested sofar in the case.

Verma said that apart fromMSP and the Lakhimpur Kheriviolence, many other issueswill also be discussed at thefarmers' mahapanchayat onMonday.

With Assembly elections inUttar Pradesh scheduled to beheld early next year, the 'Kisanmahapanchayat' in the statecapital has assumed much sig-nificance. Farmers are elec-torally important, particularlyin western Uttar Pradesh fromwhere Rakesh Tikiat hails.

Central nod for repealof farm bills likely soon

KCR reaches Delhi, topress for water-sharingPNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao on Sundayleft for New Delhi, where he isscheduled to meet Union JalShakti Minister Gajendra SinghShekhawat over water allocationin Krishna and Godavari basins,besides requesting the Centre toset up a tribunal.

He is expected to stay put inDelhi for three to four days.

During his stay in the nation-al capital, if necessary, KCR willalso call on Prime MinisterNarendra Modi to discuss the

issue and also demands todeclare an annual target onpaddy procurement from thestate.

Alleging that the NDA gov-ernment has been dragging itsfeet on Telangana's share inKrishna and Godavari riverwaters, the Chief Minister hadsaid he would meet the UnionJal Shakti Minister during hisvisit to Delhi and demand thatthe State's share be decided.

Telangana and neighbouringAndhra Pradesh have had sharpdifferences over river watersharing.

Farmers to keep up pressure on Centre

SKM meet on Nov 27 todecide course of action

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) willhold another meeting on November 27to decide future course of action whilethe planned march to Parliament byfarmers on November 29 will go aheadas per schedule, farmer leader BalbirSingh Rajewal said on Sunday.Addressing a press conference atSinghu border following a meeting,Rajewal said, "We discussed the repealof farm laws. After this, some decisionswere taken. SKM's pre-decidedprograms will continue as it is. Kisanpanchayat will be held in Lucknow onNovember 22, gatherings at all borderson November 26 and march toParliament on November 29".SKM, an umbrella body of the agitatingunions, met earlier on Sunday to decideon the next course of action, includingon the MSP issue and the proposeddaily tractor march to Parliament duringthe upcoming Winter Session. Farmerleaders have been maintaining that theprotesters will stay put at border areasof Delhi until the Centre formally repealsthese laws in Parliament after PrimeMinister Narendra Modi's surpriseannouncement on Friday and haveindicated their stir for a statutoryguarantee of MSP and withdrawal of theElectricity Amendment Bill will continue.

vijayawada 03VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2021

In yet another humanitarian gesture, Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy allowed his convoy to be overtaken by '108'ambulance on Sunday. While on his way back to his Tadepalli residence from Hyderabad, the CM noticed the ambulance andordered that his convoy be slowed down to make way for it.

SETTING AAN EEXAMPLE

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP national general secretaryNara Lokesh on Sundayexpressed concern that theYSRCP government has notlaunched minimum relief mea-sures for the victims in theflood-hit areas in the State.

Lokesh said over 24 personsdied in the heavy rains acrossthe State in the past two days.There was no effort to provideassistance to the family mem-bers of the deceased. No prop-er measures were taken toensure food and drinking waterto those whose houses and vil-lages were badly affected.

In a statement here, Lokeshdeplored that the Chief Ministermade one round in the air andthen got busy with his politics

of vengeance. On the otherhand, needless fuss and panicwere created during midnighthours only to arrest TDP seniorleader Kuna Ravikumar. Thisfocus should have been given totaking damage prevention mea-sures upon receiving weatherforecast warnings on floods.

Nara Lokesh deplored thatthere was a huge loss of life,crops and property in the latestheavy rains. The floods wreaked

havoc in villages and towns. Ifimmediate preventive measureswere taken, it would have beenpossible to minimise loss of lifeand property. The absence ofprompt action on the part of thegovernment caused misery tothe people.

Lokesh strongly condemnedwhat he called the 'illegal arrest'of former MLA KunaRavikumar. From the begin-ning, the ruling YSRCP wasmisusing the police force toharass the TDP leaders physical-ly and psychologically. Theentry of policemen into thehouse of a former MLA with-out valid reasons was con-demnable. The ruling partywould have to pay a very heavypenalty for these atrociousactions.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The Srikakulam police arrestedTelugu Desam Party (TDP)leader and former MLA KunaRavi Kumar in the wee hours ofSaturday night. It is for the fifthtime that Kuna Ravi Kumar wasarrested by the police for vari-ous offences. The latest arrest ison account of abusing officialswho are on duty.

Ravi Kumar is presently stay-ing at his brother’s residence inSanthinagar Colony inSrikakulam town. A large num-ber of police personnel rushedto the house of Ravi Kumar andarrested him.

According to the police, RaviKumar allegedly insulted themwhen he was house-arrested toprevent him from taking part inthe protests against the humil-iation of TDP president NChandrababu Naidu.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The East Coast Railway hasdecided to introduce modernLinke Hofmann Busch (LHB)rake to Visakhapatnam-Kirandul-Visakhapatnam(popular as Araku train)Express with additionalVistadome coach with effectfrom November 23.

Vice-President M.VenkaiahNaidu will inaugurate themaiden run of 08525Visakhapatnam- Araku spe-cial train with Vistadome LHBcoaches at 11 am on Monday.The inaugural train will run

with an open path. In return,the inaugural special 08526Araku-Visakhapatnam trainwill leave Araku at 3.30 pm andwill reach Visakhapatnam at6.45 pm. This special train willhave halts at Simhachalam,Kottavalasa, S.Kota andBorraguhalu betweenVisakhapatnam-Araku.

The East Coast Railway hasfocused on the conversion ofconventional coaches of impor-tant trains with LHB coaches inrecent times. The LHB coach-es, based on German technol-ogy, offer comfort, are lighterin weight, have higher speed

potential as well as higher car-rying capacity. The East CoastRailway has already convertedsix pairs of trains originatingfrom Visakhapatnam with LHB

rakes includingVisakhapatnam-New Delhi-Visakhapatnam AP Express,Vi s a k h a p a t n a m - Ko r b a -Visakhapatnam Express,

Visakhapatnam-Tirupati-Cuddapah, Visakhapatnam-Nanded, Bhubaneswar-Jagdalpur and Visakhapatnam-Amritsar Express trains.

Train 18551 Visakhapatnam-Kirandul Express will run withLHB rake with additionalVistadome coach from Tuesdayand train 18552 Kirandul-Visakhapatnam Express willrun with LHB coaches fromWednesday. This pair of trainswill have 13 LHB coaches --Vistadome coaches-2, SleeperClass-1, General Second Class-8, Second Class Luggage-cum-Disabled Coach-1 and

Generator Motor Car-1 --which can accommodate about1,100 passengers.

Entry restrictedA new LHB rake with addition-al Vistadome coaches will beflagged off from platform num-ber one by the Vice-Presidentof India. On the occasion, theRailways restricted the entry onplatform number one at theVisakhapatnam station fromearly hours to 12.30 pm. Otherplatforms can be accessedthrough the Foot Over Bridgeat gate number three from theGnanapuram side.

Venkaiah Naidu to flag off Araku special train today

17 trains cancelled,many diverted in viewof damage to tracksPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The South Central Railway(SCR) has cancelled 17 trainsand diverted several othersdue to the heavy inflow ofwater between the Nellore-Padugupadu section of theVijayawada division. TheJawad cyclone-induced floodcreated havoc due to which railtracks were washed away inseveral areas. The SCR start-ed a railway helpline with0866-27678522, 2767055 and2767075 phone numbers onPlatform No. 1 at Vijayawadato help people.

Train No. 17405 Tirupati –Adilabad, 22871 Bhubaneswar– Tirupati, 17488Visakhapatnam – Kadapa,12245 Howrah – Yesvantpur,22855 Santragachi – Tirupati,12841 Howrah – ChennaiCentral, 12663 Howrah –Tiruchchirappalli, 12835 Hatia– Yesvantpur, 22354Banaswadi – Patna, 12652H.Nizamuddin – Madurai,12646 H.Nizamuddin –Ernakulam, 12616 New Delhi– Chennai Central, 12622New Delhi – Chennai Central,17652 Kacheguda –Chengalpattu, 12797Kacheguda – Chittoor, 22880Tirupati – Bhubaneswar and17482 Tirupati – Bilaspurwere cancelled.

The railway officials statedthat 17406 Adilabad-Tirupatiexpress partially cancelledbetween Vijayawada-Tirupati,13351 Dhanbad-Alappuzhaexpress short terminated atRourkela and 17230S e c u n d e r a b a d -Thiruvananthapuram expresstrains diverted viaSecunderabad-Sulehalli-Guntakal-Dharmavaram-Yelahanka-Tirupattur-Salem.

Vijayawada Railway divi-sion initiated special mea-sures in view of CycloneJawad. It has set up a specialhelp desk at Vijayawada whileticket checking staff voluntar-ily distributed food packets tostranded passengers at Kavaliand NGOs were roped in toprovide relief to stranded pas-sengers at Chirala and Ongolerailway stations.

Shivendra Mohan,Divisional Railway Manager(DRM) assigned special dutyofficers at all important sta-tions to closely monitor the sit-uation and to avoid any incon-venience to the passengers.The DRM appealed to peopleto call helpline phone numbersto know about the movementof the trains and to get any fur-ther help.

The Railway departmentdeployed staff at all stations toassist stranded passengers andspecial enquiry counters havebeen set up at all major railwaystations. Frequent announce-ments are being made throughPassenger AnnouncementSystems and extra cateringarrangements are made tomeet the requirements ofstranded passengers.

P Bhaskar Reddy, SeniorDivisional CommercialManager, Vijayawada thankedArya Vysya Samiti, BullionMerchants Association, LionsClub, Reddy Seva Sangham,Vasavi Club, Rotary Club andvarious NGOs based atChirala and Ongole for volun-tarily coming forward to helpthe stranded passengers. TheSCR appealed to people toplan their rail journeys keep-ing in view the flood situationand checking details of therunning of the trains beforeundertaking their journey.

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

People bid a tearful adieu toK.Srinivasa Rao (30), NDRFconstable of the Fifth Battalion,Vizianagaram, as his final riteswere performed at his homevillage Kandisa of Regidi man-dal in Srikakulam district onSunday. Srinivasa Rao, whowas deputed to Nellore districtto assist in the rescue opera-tions during the floods, lost hislife after the belt of his life-sav-ing jacket opened while savinga four-member family.

The body was taken to hisnative village and laid to rest

with State honours. Thousandsof people from all walks of lifepaid floral tributes to Rao.

Rao belonged to a farmingfamily. His wife is Suneethaand the couple has a son,

Mokshgna Naidu. People's rep-resentatives, senior officialsand all the villagers paid lastrespects to Rao and offeredcondolences to the familymembers.

Tearful adieu to NDRF cop

‘Govt neglecting flood victims’PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Bureau of EnergyEfficiency (BEE), Ministry ofPower, Government of India, isobserving the National EnergyConservation Week fromDecember 14 to 20. During awebinar conducted with allSDAs, the Director General ofBEE, Abhay Bakre, called forseparate action plans keepingthe local conditions in mind topromote energy conservationand energy efficiency in theirrespective States. He request-ed all the states to be fullyinvolved in the national move-ment of energy conservationand carry out various initiativesand innovative awareness pro-grammes for celebrating

Energy Conservation Week ina more effective manner andmake it a grand success.

The DG BEE stressed on theneed for stricter and fasterimplementation of energy effi-ciency and energy conservationprograms in all the sectors toreduce carbon emissions andreach the climate change andsustainability goals of the coun-try. With the rapid progress inindustrialization and changesin the lifestyle of citizens, theneed for energy is growing ata fast pace. But the sources ofenergy are limited and thusrequire to be consumed in ajudicious manner, the DG said.

BEE appreciated AndhraPradesh for its objective toinvolve one crore, women of

Self-Help Groups and studentsin the energy efficiency activ-ities, through the Society forElimination of Rural Poverty

(SERP) and Education depart-ment of AP.

The DG, who has helddetailed discussions with

Secretary/BEE, RK Rai, DeputyDirector-General, AshokKumar and Directors of BEE,Saurabh Diddi, Milind Deore,Sunil Khandare, Arijit SenGupta, Vineeta Kanwal, JointDirector, Abhishek Sharma,and senior officials from SDAson various energy efficiencyactivities, will again review onNovember 24 (Wednesday)with senior officials the actionplan to be taken up for nation-al energy conservation weekand awareness campaign.

Responding to DG BEE, theAPSECM officials explainedthat an action plan is being pre-pared involving all depart-ments for making the nation-al energy conservation week-2021 a grand success.

Rain-hit weavers seek govt supportPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Andhra PradeshWeavers’ United Front(APWUF) has appealed tothe State government to sup-port the weavers who haveincurred loss due to torren-tial rains across the State.

APWUF state general sec-retar y T SrinivasVishwanath on Sundayurged Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy to sup-port the weavers in the Stateby extending financial sup-port.

Srinivas said that due to

heavy rains for the past 10days across the State, lakhsof weaver families depen-dent on the handloom sec-tor for their livelihood werebadly hit. He demandedthat the government supplyessential commodities tothe weaver families whowere hit by rains and extendfinancial help of Rs 10,000.

He demanded that theHandloom department offi-cials form enumerationteams across the State andestimate the loss incurred bythe weavers due to rain.The district collectors

should estimate the extent ofloss and extend financialsupport from the specialfunds.

According to informationreceived from various dis-tricts, APWUF had initial-ly estimated that the damageis around Rs 3 crore due toheavy rains, he added.

The representatives ofAPWUF will meet govern-ment officials seeking justiceto the weaver families. TheAPWUF will stand by thefamilies of the affected fam-ilies, said SrinivasaVishwanath.

Ex-MLA Kuna held,released on bail

Govt failed in providing helpto flood victims: Pawan PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Janasena Chief K PawanKalyan here on Sunday allegedthat the AP government hasfailed to provide the requiredassistance to the floods andrains affected victims.

In a statement, he said thatthe government failed evencreating such confidenceamong the victims that thegovernment would extend allneeded help to the victims.

“The Janasena leaders willvisit the flood-affected areas intwo phases. In the first phase,Nadendla Manohar will visitthe affected areas and assess theloss. In the second phase, I willvisit the affected areas andknow the ordeals of victimsdirectory”, he said, adding thatthe Janasena would stand bythe victims till they were pro-vided the needed help by thegovernment.

Mr.Pawan Kalyan held avideo conference with the JanaSena Party (JSP) leaders of

Kadapa, Chittoor, Anantapurand Nellore districts andreviewed the situation.

Speaking on the occasion,Pawan Kalyan said that the nat-ural calamities could not beprevented. But the govern-ment would respond effec-tively to protect the flood vic-tims. “Unfortunately, there isno minimum response fromthe government in extendinghelp to the victims. The gov-ernment is in a position that itcan not do anything for the vic-tims” he regretted.

He recalled that when theTitli cyclone batteredSrikakulam district, ChiefMinister YS Jagan MohanReddy, who was the then leaderof the Opposition in Assemblydid not try to extend help tothe victims, despite he was inadjacent Vizainagaram district,which reflects the mindset ofJagan Reddy, he flayed.

Taking a dig at the ward andvillage voluntary system, hesaid the volunteers are beingused for political purposes.The voluntary system is beingrun with the people’s moneybut the volunteers are workingfor the ruling party politicalmileage, he said.

“Let us hope that the miss-ing person would be safe some-where else. I express my pro-found grief and sympathy tothe bereaved families. the peo-ple in the affected areas losttheir property, crops and live-stock, and everything. Unableto imagine the enormity of thecatastrophe”, he lamented. The

Janasena party is formulatingplans to take up programmesto help the victims.

Mr.Pawan Kalyan opinedthat the flood devastation tookplace due to grabbing the landsof irrigation tanks, canals andprojects inhibiting the free flowof floodwaters. “The Jana Senaearlier predicted that the Pinchaproject had become a threat tothe people. The party leadershave taken the issue to thenotice of officials but nothinghas been done”, he slammed.

Nadendla Manohar said thatabout 1600 villages suffereddamage. The farmers in theaffected districts had lost cropsin 6.52 lakh acres which arecausing concern to all. Theindifference of the govern-ment machinery has clearlybeen exposed. The govern-ment should take up reliefand rehabilitation flood victimson a war footing. The crop,property, livestock loss wasquite higher than the govern-ment assessment, he said.

National Energy Conservation Week from Dec 14

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The State Electricity depart-ment’s operation to restorepower in flood-affected areasin Chittoor, Nellore, Kadapaand Anantapur districts ismaking rapid strides.

During the review ofEnergy Secretary and CMDof APTransco SrikantNagulapalli with APSPDCL,the Chairman & ManagingDirector of APSPDCL, HHaranatha Rao said thatpower supply would berestored to the affected vil-lages within 24 hours ofreceding of water in the areas.At present, as the floods havereduced, the water is recedingat a better pace and everyeffort is being made to restorepower as soon as possible.

The APSPDCL has alreadychalked out an action plan torestore power in all villagesand submitted it to the secre-tary. The Secretary of ener-gy asked officials to takestock of restoration works inwhich engineers of various

levels up to DEs are partici-pating.

H Haranatha Rao said thatunder APSPDCL jurisdic-tion, restoration works in 2No EHT Substations inTirupati and Nellore, 19 Nos.33/11 KV substations are stillto be completed due to whichpower supply is yet to berestored in 98 villages. Assoon as floodwater recedes,restoration works will quick-ly start. He appealed to thepublic to inform throughtoll-free number 1912 if any

pole damage or power linescut are observed in theirpremises

The energy secretary hasappreciated the tireless effortsof CMD/APSPDCL and histeam for round-the-clockpower restoration works amidadverse conditions due to theflood and instructed DIS-COM officials to monitor theprogress of works and visit theaffected villages. He alsoappointed general managersas nodal officers for each dis-trict. In addition to the above,

the local officers in the rankof executive engineers fromother wings beside the oper-ation wing engineers werealso deputed for early restora-tion of power supply. Therequired men and materialhas been made readily avail-able for execution of works.

The secretary has informedthe progress of power restora-tion works to the Minister forEnergy Balineni SrinivasaReddy. The Minister empha-sized the need for a plan thatcould help to reduce uncer-tainty after a disaster such asfloods, cyclones, and heavygales etc., and allow officialsto better plan for short andlong term power restorationoperations on a war footingbasis and mitigate financialand infrastructure-relatedlosses as well.

CMD/APCPDCL, J PadmaJanardhana Reddy,CMD/APEPDCL, KSanthosha Rao have alsoassured necessary support toAPSPDCL in restoring powerin the affected districts.

Power will be restored in 24 hours inflood-hit districts: APSPDCL CMD

Take up millets in Rabi: CollectorPNS n VIJAYAWADA

District Collector J Nivas hasappealed to the farmers in thedistrict to cultivate millets inthe Rabi season due to a short-fall of water reserves. OnSunday, the Collectorappealed to thefarmers to go foralternative cultiva-tion as there is ashortage of agricul-tural water for theRabi season. Headvised the farmers to cul-tivate crops like maize, blackgram, groundnut, corn, greengram, sesame and not to cul-tivate paddy.

The Collector said that itwas very sad that the paddy

crops were damaged due to therecent rains just before theharvest of paddy crops incur-ring heavy loss during the cur-rent Kharif season.

He said that due to the veryless availability of water,

the decision will betaken at a meetingwith the Irrigationdepartment officials.The Collectorappealed to the farm-

ers to cultivate alterna-tive crops during Rabi as

the paddy crop in the districtwas already damaged due toheavy rains in Kharif andagain cultivating paddy cropsduring Rabi would be dam-aged due to lack of water sup-ply, he added.

04VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2021

PNS n GUNTUR

Guntur MP Galla Jayadev hasalleged that political parties areresorting to third-rated tacticsof character assassination, hit-ting below-the-belt, attackingestablishments of Oppositionleaders and filing false cases.

Responding to the disparag-ing comments made by someYSRCP MLAs in the Assemblytargeting the Leader of theAssembly Chandrababu Naiduand his wife, the MP said thatthe incident had moved him tothe core.

“While we, as public repre-sentatives, expect respect frompeople, we also have theresponsibility of setting highstandards not only for thembut also for posterity. There isa need to show rudimentarydecency and respect, be it ver-bal or behavioural, particular-

ly in public life, towards ouropponents, be it inside or out-side the House,” he said.

Stating that there has beenan increase in instances of useof abusive language in AP bypolitical representatives, whichis reprehensible, he said thatwhen party leaders fail to rep-

rimand these representativesabout use of such abusive andobnoxious language, theyounger generation may seethis as encouragement of suchbehavior and may get influ-enced to emulate similarbehaviour in their life. “Thiswill lead to the deterioration ofthe political standard and ethosin the country, which is notgood for the future,” he point-ed out.

He said political partiesobviously would have ideolog-ical differences. “And, there isevery possibility of disagree-ment with one’s point of viewor approach, be it issues relat-ing to national, regional orState-level,” he said, addingthat this should not be con-strued as hatred; rather, it hasto be taken under the spirit ofdemocracy.

Any debate on the Floor of

the House has to be structured,based on facts and figures andeducative and achieve theobjective of finding a solutionto an issue, he said, stating thatit should not become a launch-ing pad to attack personally orfamily members, which is adisgrace to that House and thedemocratic principles of theworld’s largest democracy.

“It needs to be understoodthat public approval has to bewon by serving society and thepeople of the State,” he said.

Galla Jayadev said that thecountry treats women as MaaDurga and that the worldrespects, honours and admiresIndian women. He appealed toparty leaders to stop draggingwomen into political mud-slinging, humiliate them andcast aspersions harshly andunfairly just to score politicalpoints.

MP Galla decries characterassassination by politicos

PNS n ELURU

District Collector KarthikeyaMishra said that all effortswould be made for the devel-opment of fishermen in thedistrict and the works for fish-eries university and fishingharbour would begin soon.

He was the chief guest at theWorld Fisheries Day celebra-tions held at the Godavari

Conference Hall at theCollector's Office here onSunday.

Speaking on the occasion, hesaid that he would do his partfor the development and wel-fare of fishermen.

Collector Kartikeya Mishrasaid works of the FisheriesUniversity and FishingHarbour in the district wouldbegin soon. The Collector said

special medical camps wouldbe set up in fishermen villagesand a residential school wouldbe set up.

The Collector said that forthe development and welfare ofinland fishermen, fish ponds inthe village would be leased outto the fishermen only for whichthe guidelines of GOs would beimplemented.

Kartikeya Mishra explained

that the loans would be pro-vided by the RDA of theDWCRA community of fish-ing women. He said a letterwould be written to the gov-ernment to provide nets tofishermen.

Orders would be issued totransport fish on RTC buses,he said. Later the Collectorgave away certificates for thosewho worked efficiently.

Fisheries varsity, harbour works to begin soon: Collector

Murdered boy’s uncle detainedHYDERABAD: The Pahadi Shareef Police have reportedly taken themain suspect involved in the murder of a 4-year-old boy into custodyon Sunday. The suspect, Veeresham, is the boy’s uncle, the policesaid. The victim, Lucky’s mother, Maheshawari, had married Vinod,against her parents’ wishes and the couple had a son. Apart from thecouple’s disputes, Maheshwari’s younger sister, who marriedVeeresham, also had problems in their marriage.Sources said thatafter Maheshwari intervened in the couple’s disputes, her sisterwanted a divorce. This angered Veeresham. However, Maheshwarimaintained that she had warned Veeresham to mend his ways and totreat her sister properly. After Maheshwari’s conversation with him,Veeresham developed a grudge against her and threatened her.

Man ends life PEDDAPALLI: In full view of the public, a 28-year-old personinvited death walking on the railway tracks in front of the movingsuper fast Bangaluru-Delhi Rajadhani Express at Ramagundamrailway station on Sunday, panicking people present at the railwaystation. The Government Railway Police said that he was identifiedas Sanjay Kumar Behera from Odisha. He used to work in ahardware shop along with his grandfather in Secunderabad. Hewas apparently of unsound mind and his family is getting himtreated, head constable Suresh said. He died on the spot run overby the train.

27 students test +ve for Covid-19 WYRA: In all, 27 students of Telangana Residential School andCollege in Wyra ofKhammam district has tested positive forCovid-19. When one of the students whoupon returning to thehostel from home complained of ill-health, she was tested forCovid. The test yielded a positive result. When the principal of theeducational institution Lakshi got all students tested, 27 testedpositive for the virus. She sent home all the students sufferingfrom Covid-19 symptoms. Upon learningabout it, parents of otherstudents have taken their wards along with them to their homes.

SHORT TAKES

‘Plans beingformulated todevelop WG’

Supply routes blocked, Maoists facing difficult timesG RAVI KIRAN

n HYDERABAD

Are Maoists facing the tough-est time in their history? Thepolice strategy of blocking thesupply routes of Maoists duringthe corona pandemic affectedthem a lot.

As the police offer of surren-der for getting medical treat-ment was unacceptable to them,the Maoists suffered consider-able casualties. The focus of thepolice on urban Maoists also hitthe Maoists.

The Central MilitaryCommission of the Maoistsreleased a note on Saturdayadmitting that they had suffered116 casualties last year.Although there is no officialconfirmation from the Maoists,the figures mentioned in thestatement are very close toactuals.

In July 2021 itself, the Maoist

Central Committee had saidthat they lost around 160 lead-ers and cadres. Of them, 95were killed in encounters. Ofthe 95, 42 were killed in fakeencounters.

Thirteen Maoists died due toill health including Telanganasecretary Hari Bhushan.

As per their statement 101died in the Dandakaranyaregion of Chattisgarh, 11 inBihar and Jharkhand, one inOdisha, eight in Maharastra,Madhya Pradesh andChattisgarh, 11 on the Odisha-Andhra Border and 14 inTelangana.

The Maoist CentralCommittee observed a Martyrs’Week from July 28 to August 3.

After this statement, keyMaoist leader Rama Krishnadied of ill health. Last week, 26Maoists died in an encounter atGadchiroli.

Maoist leader Teltumbde was

also killed in this encounter.During the corona pandem-

ic, the police offered treatmentto Maoist leaders and cadres butasked them to surrender. TheMaoists alleged that the policehad blocked all ways throughwhich help reached them in theforests.

The doctors and others whoused to help the Maoists wereblocked by the police, theMaoists said. After the death ofRama Krishna, his wife Sirisha

said the police had blockedmedical support for her hus-band and that he died due tothat.

Before the corona pandem-ic, the Union Ministry of HomeAffairs had taken steps to blockexternal help and had startedarresting urban Maoists. InAugust 2018, the police raidedurban intellectuals who werehelping the Maoists.

After the Koregaon Bhimacase, many arrests were made

including that of Varavara Rao.Recently, NIA teams raided 14locations in the two TeluguStates which exposed theirstrategy.

A Maoist sympathiser said,“This is only a temporary phe-nomenon for us. Recruitmentsare going on. Due to the poli-cies of various governments andthe mining mafia a new gener-ation is coming towards ourparty. This will go on till the sys-tem gives justice to the people,particularly adivasis.”

Ganapathi seriousMaoist General SecretaryGanapathi is in his last days,sources said. He is unable towalk. Maoist cadres aretaking him on a doli in theforests now. He is also notgetting medical treatmentdue to the police blockade.

Food, potable water suppliedto stranded rail passengersPNS n ONGOLE

The staffers of MP MaguntaSrinivasulu Reddy providedfood packets and drinkingwater to the stranded passen-gers in the railway station hereon Sunday.

Since the railway track atPadugupadu was damaged the

train services were cancelled.Some railway passengers arestranded in the railway stationhere. The staffers of MP dis-tributed food packets anddrinking water to the railwaypassengers. Railway DCMBhaskar Reddy informed MPMagunta Srinivasulu Reddythat some railway passengers

were starving in the railwaystation as train services cameto a halt and requested him toarrange a supply of food anddrinking water to the strand-ed passengers.

Responding to his request,food and drinking water wereprovided to over 1,000 passen-gers today.

SKM hails KCR’s Rs 3 lakh ex gratia offer, to give list of deceased farmersPNS n NEW DELHI

Welcoming Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao’sannouncement of Rs 3 lakh exgratia to the kin of each of theover 750 farmers who diedduring the year-long protestagainst the farm laws, theSamyukta Kisan Morcha(SKM) on Sunday said that itwould soon provide a list ofthe deceased farmers to theTelangana government.

The SKM, which met atthe Singhu Border onSunday, congratulated thefarmers and workers of Indiafor their historic victory, andsaid that a decision was takento send an Open Letter toPrime Minister NarendraModi raising pendingdemands.

The SKM said that whileModi or his government hasnot acknowledged the avoid-able sacrifices made byaround 700 farmers of theKisan Andolan, the TS gov-ernment has stepped forwardto extend support to the kinof the martyrs.

“While announcing a sup-port of Rs 3 lakh to the fam-ily of each martyr, theTelangana Chief Minister alsodemanded that the Govern-ment of India pay Rs 25 lakhfor each farmer family andalso withdraw all cases uncon-ditionally. SKM will providethe list of martyrs to theTelangana government forthis ex gratia support to beextended to the martyrs' fam-ilies,” the SKM said in a state-ment.

K VENKATESHWARLU

n HYDERABAD

TRS supremo KChandrasekhar Rao hasfinalised the list of 12 candi-dates to contest the forth-coming elections to the StateLegislative Council under theLocal AuthoritiesConstituencies’ quota beforeleaving for Delhi, sources inthe TRS said. It is also learntthat KCR has even handedover the ‘B’-forms to several ofthese 12 candidates.

The party high command isexpected to make a formalannouncement on Monday.While the last date for filing ofnominations is November 23,some of these 12 candidatesare expected to do so onMonday itself, while the oth-ers would do so on Tuesday i.e.the last day of filing nomina-tions.

According to TRS insiders,KCR has more or less decid-ed to send his daughter KKavitha to the Rajya Sabha, inplace of Banda Prakash. It maybe recalled that KCR pro-posed the name of BandaPrakash for the Council seatunder the MLAs’ quota.

According to TRS sources,the 12 names KCR hasfinalised for elections to theState Legislative Councilunder the Local AuthoritiesConstituencies’ quota are:Dande Vittal (Adilabad), SaiChand and KasireddyNarayana Reddy(Mahabubnagar), Thatha

Madhu (Khammam),Shambipur Raju and PatnamMahender Reddy(Rangareddy), Dr MarriYadava Reddy (Medak),Pochampally Srinivas Reddy(Warangal), MC Koti Reddy(Nalgonda), L Ramana, BhanuPrasada Rao (Karimnagar),Akula Lalitha (Nizamabad).

Going by this list, KasireddyNarayana Reddy, ShambipurRaju, Patnam MahenderReddy, Pochampally SrinivasReddy, Bhanu Prasada Raoand Akula will be the fortunateones who continue to findfavour from KCR.

Thatha Madhu, DandeVittal, Sai Chand, MC KotiReddy, L Ramana and DrMarri Yadava Reddy are newfaces.

Interestingly, the list con-

tains the names of fiveReddys— Kasireddy NarayanaReddy, Patnam MahenderReddy, Dr Marri YadavaReddy (Medak), PochampallySrinivas Reddy, MC KotiReddy.

This is in addition to thethree Reddys who are set tomake it to the Council underthe MLAs’ quota – GuttaSukhender Reddy, PadiKaushik Reddy and PVenkatrami Reddy.

While the TRS sources arequite confident about theremaining 12 candidates, theysay that KCR gave a chance toAkula Lalitha as he wanted tosend Kavitha to the RajyaSabha, keeping in view thepolitical developments andthe equations between TRSand BJP.

TRS finalises names forCouncil polls from LAC quotaKavitha likely to be sent to RS; list has

6 new faces; 5 candidates are Reddys

L Ramana

Sai Chand Thatha Madhu MC Koti Reddy

Dr Marri Yadav Reddy Dande Vittal

PNS n KADAPA

The Annamayya project onCheyyeru river has turned outto be the sorrow of many a vil-lage in Rajampet Assemblyconstituency in Kadapa districtof Andhra Pradesh.

Togurupeta, Mandapalli,Pulapathur and Gundlur pre-sented a picture of haunted vil-lages in the wake of the devas-tation.

The flash flood caused dueto a breach of the project'searthen bund caught at least 18people in a watery grave andleft many others missing inthese villages.

A sudden gush of about twolakh cusecs of floodwater onFriday, with the level reachingup to 10 feet height, caught thevillagers unawares and scam-pering for their lives.

Tens of houses in these vil-lages downstream the project

were reduced to rubble. Thevillagers literally lost every-thing, except the clothes ontheir person.

Agricultural crops in hun-dreds of acres stood destroyed.Tens of cattle heads werewashed away. Nothing of thehousehold items was left as thedeluge gulped them.

It all happened in a flash.There was no warning whatso-ever about the impending dis-aster and we were left to facethe fury. Now, our lives are intotal ruin, the sobbing vil-lagers of Togurupeta andMandapalli said.

In Pulapathur village, 12people were swept away in theswirling flood in Cheyyeru,nine in Mandapalli and five inGundlur.

So far, only 18 bodies havebeen recovered, with no traceof the rest.

Annamayya is a medium

irrigation project with a grosscapacity of only 2.24 tmc ft onCheyyeru, a tributary of Pennariver in Rajampet constituen-cy. It caters to an ayacut of22,500 acres, besides fulfillingthe drinking water needs of 140habitations.

The Pincha project upstreambreached, letting out all flood-water into Annamayya whilewater from Seshachalam toocame gushing in because ofvery heavy rainfall, resulting inan overall discharge of over twolakh cusecs.

That pushed Cheyyeru riverinto spate, inundating at least10 villages downstream inRajampet and Nandaluru man-dals, and leaving widespreaddestruction in its wake.

“It was nothing but grossmismanagement on the part ofthe administration. Didn't theyknow about the flood whenthere was such heavy rain?Why were we not even alertedabout the coming dangerbefore it destroyed us?” angryvillagers of Mandapalli andTogurupeta questioned.

Except some kind-heartedvolunteers, the administrationdid not come to their help inany way, they lamented.

“Ours is the first villageright under Annamayya pro-ject. We lost our houses, cattle,belongings everything. Some ofour villagers were killed. Thereis no place for us to go, the sur-viving residents of Togurupeta,”

a hamlet of about 500 people,said.

The temple of the local god-dess, which somehowremained intact, has nowturned into the only shelterzone for the hapless villagers.

Mandapalli presented aheartrending sight. Two fami-lies were completely wiped outas seven people in all werekilled in the flood fury.Another family lost two per-sons.

Kadapa district CollectorVijaya Rama Raju told PTI thatthe dam breach was the majorfactor that caused such a majorcalamity.

The river course changed butthe dam breach was whatcaused the real destruction. Westill moved some 600 people tosafety, he said.

“Yes, it was a major calami-ty, the scale of which could notbe imagined,” Raju added.

AP DELUGE: THE DAM THAT SPREAD SORROW

PNS n ELURU

Deputy Chief Minister AllaKalikrishna Srinivas has saidthat comprehensive plans arebeing formulated for theoverall development of theWest Godavari district.

The Deputy Chief Ministerreviewed various develop-ment projects and imple-mentation of welfare schemesin the district with districtCollector Kartikeya Mishrahere on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion,the deputy chief ministersaid that special plans werebeing evolved to the develop-ment of the WG district andimplementation of welfareschemes flawlessly.

He directed the Collectorto ensure that the fruits ofwelfare schemes would reachall eligible poor. He said thatover Rs 6500 crore is beingdisbursed per year to 44 lakhwomen under the Ammavadischeme.

High Court grants bail torealtor Sreedhar RaoPNS n HYDERABAD

After being arrested a sec-ond time in two weeks, theTelangana High Court hasgranted bail to SaranalaSreedhar Rao, the ManagingDirector of SandhyaConventions andConstructions & EstatesPrivate Limited.

In the latest case, Raowas arrested in Bengaluruby the Cyberabad Police onNovember 17 after a cheat-ing complaint was filedagainst him.

The court granted Rao

bail as proper procedurewas not followed by thepolice during his arrestalthough Rao has 17 othercases and complaints againsthim.

The public prosecutor'sargument that Rao wasabsconding from the time hegot the first court relief wasrejected.

In the latest case filedagainst the realtor, his per-sonal trainer had com-plained that he was sexual-ly assaulted by the businesstycoon.

Based on the victim’s

complaint, the policebooked a case underSections 377 (sexual actagainst the order of nature),341 (wrongful restraint),323 (voluntarily causinghurt) and 506 (criminalintimidation) of the IPC.

The Sanathnagar Policesaid that a detailed investi-gation was being carriedout in the case and an arrestwould be made if concreteevidence is found.

The victim was sent formedical examination at theGandhi Hospital. The policeare awaiting the report.

nation 05VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2021

I N D I A C O R N E RRenowned Punjabi singer Gurmeet Bawa dies at 77

Renowned Punjabi folk singer Gurmeet Bawa passed away on Sunday followingprolonged illness. She was 77. The folk artist breathed her last at a city hospitalhere, said family friend Bhupinder Singh Sandhu. "She was taken to the hospital on

Saturday evening after she complained of difficulty in breathing," Sandhu told PTI.Gurmeet Bawa, wife of Punjabi folk singer Kirpal Bawa, was best known for her long 'hek'

(opening of a song while singing tocreate a melodious voice with anunbreakable wave) for about 45seconds. She came to limelightwhen she started performing onDoordarshan. She was the firstPunjabi female singer to appear onthe national television channel. Bornin 1944 in Kothe village of Punjab'sGurdaspur district, Gurmeet Bawabecame popular across the countryafter singing the Punjab folk song“Jugni".

Yogi tweets photos of him taking awalk with Modi, captions ‘New India’

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, two photos of Prime Minister NarendraModi on a stroll with his hand on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's shoulder has createdquite a buzz. Sharing the photos on Twitter, Adityanath also wrote a poem about the

commitment of making a new India. The photos of Modi with his hand on Adityanth'sshoulder deep in conversation were snapped at the Uttar Pradesh Raj Bhavan. The primeminister, who is in Lucknow to attend the DGPs' conference, is staying at Raj Bhavan since

Friday night. Adityanath hadgone to meet the prime ministeron Sunday morning. However, it isnot known what discussion tookplace between them. Along withthe photos, Adityanath wrote apoem in Hindi, which roughlytranslates to: "We have started ajourney with a pledge, dedicatingour mind and body, to make thesun rise; rise high above the skyand make a new India".

TMC leader Sayani Ghosh detained for questioning in Tripura

Tripura police on Sunday detained West Bengal Trinamool Congress leader SayaniGhosh for questioning following a complaint by a ruling BJP worker that she haddisturbed a street corner meeting of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday

night, according to an official. She was detained 24 hours before a planned visit byTMC's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee after being called in for

questioning in a police station. TMCleaders alleged that their workers werealso roughed up by BJP supportersoutside the East Agartala Women'spolice station. Banerjee in a tweetaccused the BJP government in Tripuraof brazenly disregarding Supreme Courtorders on rights of political parties tohold peaceful protests. "@BjpBiplab hasbecome so UNABASHEDLY BRAZENthat now even SUPREME COURTORDERS DOESN'T SEEM TO BOTHERHIM," Banerjee tweeted.

Cong asks PM to break ‘silence'on Chinese ‘intrusion' in Arunchal PNS n NEW DELHI

The Congress on Sundayaccused the BJP governmentof deception and deliberatedistortion over allegedChinese intrusions inArunachal Pradesh and ques-tioned Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's "silence" onthe issue.

The opposition party alsoaccused the BJP of givinglessons on national security tothe entire country whiledigressing from addressingthe serious issue that affectedIndia's integrity and sovereign-ty.

Congress spokespersonAbhishek Singhvi shared satel-lite images to claim that Chinahas built another village six toseven kilometres inside Indianterritory in Arunachal Pradeshwith over 60 structures.

He also claimed that theChinese president had visiteda few kilometres north of thisspot a few days ago.

The Congress leaderdemanded that Prime MinisterModi address the issue and tellthe nation about steps he istaking in this regard.

"We condemn the primeminister's silence. It is culpa-ble. It is a negative eloquence

which we can do without. It isinexcusable," he told reporters.

There was no response fromthe government on the issue.

The Congress has beenattacking the government con-sistently over its handling ofborder tensions with China.

"We don't understand thisdefinition is national security,where you berate, browbeat,intimidate the whole countryon national security issuesand keep silent on this kind ofthings," Singhvi said, claimingthe prime minister never saida word "on the January 2019and September- October 2021intrusions".

"It is a sad case of deliber-ate distortion, digression anddiversion on an issue affecting

India's integrity and sovereign-ty," he alleged, hitting out atthe BJP government.

The satellite images sharedby Singhvi, sourced from someprofessional websites, pur-portedly show images of thesame spot in ArunachalPradesh in April 2019 andthen in September 2021 witharound 60 structures or habi-tats built up.

He also cited a statement ofBJP MP Tapir Gao fromArunachal Pradesh made inParliament over a year agowhere he alleged that the sec-ond Dokalam will be inArunachal.

He said the BJP should atleast listen to its MP, if not theopposition party.

AGRA: Union minister of Law andJustice Kiren Rijiju on Sundaysaid Rahul Gandhi had no knowl-edge about border security andresponding to his questions onChina's infractions in the borderregions would be to underminenational security. "It is asensitive issue. RahulGandhi has no knowl-edge about the bor-der security andother sensitivematters." "If webegin replying toRahul Gandhi'squestions, it would notbe good for the nation.Rahul Gandhi's words have nosense and we should not payattention to his words," Rijiju saidduring a press interaction here.The minister was replying to aquestion that elicited his views onthe Congress leader's attack onthe Center over China's colony-building activity on ArunachalPradesh border. Rijiju was inAgra to inaugurate the 'Run forGreenery', a mini-marathonorganised under the 'Sansad KhelSpardha'. He flagged off the mini-

marathon from the Agra CollegeSports ground in the morning.Hundreds of students, NCCcadets, scout guides, sportsper-sons, NGO workers, and manydignitaries of Agra took part in themarathon. Expanding further his

comment, Rijiju said if thegovernment starts reply-

ing to Gandhi'squeries, it will not beable to do its work."We have to workfor the nation,” hesaid. Asked about

his views on therepeal of the three farm

bills, the union ministersaid the topic doesn't require anyfurther commenting since PrimeMinister Narendra Modi hasalready made an important decla-ration on the matter. Talkingabout the Agra lawyers' demandfor the establishment of a HighCourt bench in the city, Rijiju saidthe matter will be studied firstbefore any action is taken. Rijijupraised the efforts of the partici-pants in the mini-marathon andsaid that in coming days UttarPradesh will go a long way.

‘Rahul Gandhi doesn't knowabout border security issues’

PNS n MUMBAI

Taking a dig at China, DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh onSunday said "some irresponsi-ble nations" for the sake of theirnarrow partisan interests andhegemonic tendencies are com-ing up with inappropriate inter-pretations of the UNConvention on the Law of theSea (UNCLOS).

It is a matter of concern thatUNCLOS is being repeatedlyweakened by arbitrary interpre-tation of its definition by somenations, Singh said, after com-missioning of Indian Navy'sdestroyer Visakhapatnam here.

As a responsible maritimestakeholder, India supports con-sensus-based principles and apeaceful, open, rule-based sta-ble maritime order, Singh said.

India envisions a rule-basedIndo-Pacific, with freedom ofnavigation, free trade and uni-versal values, in which theinterests of all the participatingcountries are protected, headded.

Singh underscored theimportance of a rule-basedfreedom of navigation andsecurity of sea lanes in the pre-sent era of globalisation toensure stability, economicprogress and development ofthe world. The UNCLOS 1982specifies about any country'sterritorial waters, exclusive eco-

nomic zone and good order atsea, he said.

“The arbitrary interpreta-tions create obstacles in the pathof a rule-based maritime order,”he said. “There are somenations - I would like to sayirresponsible nations – (who)for the sake of their narrow par-tisan interests, keep on givingnew and inappropriate interpre-tations to these internationallaws from hegemonic tenden-cies,” Singh said without nam-ing China.

China has been militarizingislands in South China, a movethat has attracted global criti-cism. The area has overlappingclaims of several East andSoutheast Asian nations.

In 2016, an international tri-bunal rejected China's argumentthat it enjoys historic rights overmost of the South China Sea -

- a region known to be rich inhydrocarbons and also hostingan important Sea Lane ofCommunication.

Following the order, Chinasaid the award is "null and voidand has no binding force" andit neither accepts nor recognis-es it.

Noting that the Indo-Pacificis important for the wholeworld, Singh said the region seespassage of two-third oil ship-ments of the world, one-third ofthe bulk cargo and more thanhalf of container traffic.

Singh said as an importantcountry in the region, theIndian Navy's role assumes amore crucial role for the region'ssecurity.

“It becomes the primaryobjective of the Indian Navy tokeep the Indo-Pacific open,safe and secure,” he said.

‘Some irresponsible nationsdistorting UNCLOS’

PNS n NEW DELHI

Minority Affairs MinisterMukhtar Abbas Naqvi onSunday said "communal poli-tics" over the Citizenship(Amendment) Act has begunagain with some calling for itsrepeal and asserted that the lawis not about taking away citi-zenship but about providing itto Hindus, Sikhs and otheroppressed minorities inPakistan, Afghanistan andBangladesh.

Naqvi said some have alsocalled for the restoration ofArticle 370 and stressed thatwith its abrogation, more than370 problems in Jammu andKashmir and Ladakh havebeen resolved with people join-ing the mainstream of progress.

Talking to reporters afterattending a mass marriagefunction in Uttar Pradesh'sRampur, the minister said that

the era of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath hasdemolished the “legacy of cut,commission and corruption".

He said the Modi and theAdityanath governments havebrought an end to the politicspromoting "riots and mafia".

"The Modi and Yogi era hascreated fear among the corruptand the mafia," he was quotedas saying in a statement issuedby his office.

Referring to the discourse insome quarters following thegovernment's decision torepeal three farm laws, Naqvisaid that "communal politicshas begun on Citizenship(Amendment) Act (CAA) andArticle 370".

"Somebody says CAAshould be repealed and Article370 should be restored. Thesepeople know very well thatCAA isn't about taking awaycitizenship but providing citi-

zenship to Hindus, Sikhs andother oppressed minorities inPakistan, Afghanistan andBangladesh," he said.

The minority affairs minis-ter said that with the abroga-tion of Article 370, over 370problems have been resolved inJammu and Kashmir andLadakh, and people have beenbrought in the mainstream ofdevelopment and progress.

After Prime Minister Modiannounced the repeal of farmlaws, prominent Muslimorganisation Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Friday had urged thegovernment to take back theCAA as well.

BSP MP from AmrohaKunwar Danish Ali also calledfor the repeal of the CAA"without further delay".

The CAA was notified onDecember 12, 2019, and cameinto force from January 10 lastyear.

‘Communal politics’ has begun:Naqvi on call to repeal CAA

PNS n NEW DELHI

An ongoing exhibition hereturns the spotlight on the expo-nents of sufi qawwali music andshows images of them weavingmagic through their spiritual per-formances across shrines inIndia.

"The Qawwali Photo Project- An Untold Story", presentlyunderway at the IndiaInternational Centre, is curatedby Kathak dancer ManjariChaturvedi.

Featuring photographs byDinesh Khanna, MustafaQuraishi and Leena Kejriwal, thephoto exhibition aims to giveshape to the sounds and identi-ty to the faceless people behindthe devotional sufi music -- theqawwals.

"The qawwals of the subcon-tinent have largely remainedfaceless, of course a name and amusic that people associate with,

but not the face of the man. Thisis what led to the formation ofthis project, to show the real facesbehind this music"

"As part of the project, thephotography exhibition exploresthe art form through the powerof images as a means of expres-sion and communication. Theimages of the qawwali practition-ers are uniquely shot amidst thepeople in an organic, non-com-mercial set up," said Chaturvedi

in a statement.While Khanna's stories tra-

verse the important shrines ofDelhi, Amritsar, Jaipur,Hyderabad and Ajmer;Quraishi's photo story is shot inthe two prominent shrines ofUttar Pradesh -- Dewa Sharif andSafipur.

Unlike Khanna and Qureshi,Kejriwal's work specifically doc-uments the presence of womenqawwali performers in what is

largely considered as an andro-centric performance art.

The 10-day show also featuresa unique self-documentationinitiative titled "I am a Qawwal",in which the qawwali practition-ers take their own selfie photos,or have friends take their photosand send them to the QawwaliProject for documentation.

Having already received 50photographs, the goal, accordingto Chaturvedi, is to collect doc-umentation of 500 such artistsand more.

"The self-photographs we havereceived reveal something aboutthe various characters of thesemen who are so integral to car-rying on this generations-longandrocentric performance tradi-tion. Some are old, some arebarely past boyhood. Seeingthese pictures, we get a rareglimpse into their lives as viewedon their own terms," explainedChaturvedi.

Show puts spotlight on qawwals of India

PNS n NEW DELHI

From Dutch-era PatnaCollectorate to iconic 86-year-oldAsiatic Building in Bengaluru,thousands of architecturally andhistorically significant heritagebuildings stand unprotectedpresently, many of which are "fac-ing decay or demolition" amidrapid urbanisation, say experts.

A top-level official of theArchaeological Survey of Indiaon Sunday lamented the situa-tion, saying the ASI has "sever-al constraints" in taking up newsites, but just because a buildingor a monument is not listedunder the ASI or any otheragency, "it does not mean that theparticular structure has no her-

itage value".As the World Heritage Week

is being marked across the globefrom November 19-25, heritagecustodians, INTACH officialsand other experts highlighted theplight of "unprotected heritagebuildings" of the country, whichoften get "overshadowed by well-protected and much-celebratedcultural sites" year after year.

Centuries-old PatnaCollectorate, which is spreadover 12 acres and despite beingone of the last surviving signa-tures of Dutch architecture inBihar and endowed with highceilings, huge doors and hangingskylights, is not protected underthe ASI or the state government.

The Bihar government had in

2016 proposed to dismantle thecollectorate located on the banksof Ganga, and replace it with anew complex, a move that hadtriggered a public outcry, withappeals to save the landmarkcoming from India and abroad,including the then Dutch ambas-sador. A Supreme Court staysince September 18 last year has

halted the bulldozers.Several iconic buildings,

including over 100-year-old GoleMarket, old Baoli Hall, 1885-builtAnjuman Islamia Hall, Districtand Sessions Judge Bungalow,Civil Surgeon's Bungalow, CitySP Bungalow, New Police Lines,have already been demolished inthe past several years by the stategovernment authorities.

The Patna Medical Collegeand Hospital (PMCH), started in1925 as Prince of Wales MedicalCollege, Bihar and Orissa's firstmedical college, is also pro-posed to be razed for a new state-of-the-art hospital complex,despite appeal from historians,heritage lovers and INTACH topreserve its historic buildings.

ASI and INTACH officials decrydecay of unprotected structures

PNS n AIZAWL

The Mizoram Excise andNarcotics department hasseized over 15 kg of heroin andarrested 493 people in drugrelated cases this year, an offi-cial said on Sunday.

Excise and Narcoticsdepartment spokespersonPeter Zohmingthanga said15.420 kg of heroin was seizedfrom January to October thisyear.

Quoting the department'srecord, he said a total of 39.72kg of heroin was seized inthree years from January 2019to October 2021.

The official said 12.59 kg ofheroin was seized in 2019 and11.71 kg in 2020.

Besides, 612 kg of ganja

(cannabis) was seized duringthree years (2019 - October2021), methamphetaminetablets (210.87 kg), opium (2kg), Pseudoephedrine tablets(9 kg), Alprazolam tablets(12.62 kg) andDextroproproxyphene tablets(25 kg), he said.

At least 2,120 people werearrested and 1,572 cases reg-istered in connection withdrugs during the same period,he said.

According to the official, atotal of 16,88 people havedied due to drug abuse since1984 to 15 November 2021.

Of the 16, 88 people, 340died of heroin, 1,161 died dueto Dextroproproxyphene and187 died due to other drugs, hesaid.

Over 15 kg heroinseized by MizoramExcise Dept in 2021

PNS n SRINAGAR

PDP president MehboobaMufti on Sunday said Jammuand Kashmir Lt GovernorManoj Sinha should apolo-gise to the families of the per-sons killed in the Hyderporaencounter as well as to theentire population of theValley and called for strin-gent punishment to thoseinvolved in the incident.

Mehbooba, who led a protestmarch of her party activistsfrom her 'Fairview' residence atGupkar Road to the Raj Bhavanhere, also demanded that thebody of the third person --Amir Margay from theRamban area of Jammu --killed in the encounter bereturned to the family.

“Innocent people were killedin Hyderpora encounter. AsLG is the head of the unifiedcommand, he should apologiseto the kin of the killed personsand take back the blot on

them of being militants orhybrid militants or OGWs.

"They should returnAmir's body, give compensa-tion and the unified com-mand should seek an apolo-g y from the people ofKashmir,” she told reporters.

The PDP presidentdemanded a judicial probeinto the incident to bring thefacts to the fore.

“A judicial inquiry be con-ducted and stringent punish-ment be given to those involvedin this (incident),” she said.

Mehbooba said there were“doubts” whether there real-ly was a militant who thepolice claim was killed in theencounter.

“We have not seen the bodyor the face of the fourth per-son who is being labelled asa militant. We have doubtswhether there really was amilitant or whether theykilled the three civiliansunnecessarily,” she said.

L-G should apologise to kinof civilians killed, says Mufti

HERITAGE WEEK

substantial casualties, com-menced over a month ago, andstill show no signs of ending.This suggests that militants areoperating in strength, which isunexpected and reminiscentof the conditions that pre-vailed there a couple ofdecades ago. We are certainlyowed an explanation as to howthe situation was allowed todeteriorate to this extent.

The situation in the NorthEast appears to be no better, asthe recent ambush inManipur, that resulted in thetragic death of theCommanding Officer of anAssam Rifles Battalion, alongwith that of his wife and child,and of four personnel of hisescort detail, clearly shows.More importantly, the peacedeal being negotiated withthe NSCN(IM) appears to begoing nowhere.This Can onlyadd to the frustration amongstmilitants and is hardly con-ducive to ensuring stabilityand peace in the region, moreso, if the Chinese are back totheir old tricks of supportingextremists there.

Over three decades ago,Prof William Lind and hiscolleagues published theirpathbreaking paper, TheChanging Face of War: Intothe Fourth Generation, in theUnited States Marine CorpsJournal. In it, they identifiedthe central tenets of how

fourth generation warfare hasevolved and how it differsfrom its earlier avatars. Intheir view, each generationalchange has been marked bygreater dispersion on the bat-tlefield. Thus, fourth genera-tion warfare “include(s) thewhole of the enemy’s society,”and aims at the “goal of col-lapsing the enemy internallyrather than physicallydestroying him.” In essence,they viewed fourth generationwarfare as undefined, withthe line between war andpeace, and civilian and mili-tary blurring, if not disap-pearing completely. Such awar would be non-linear withno definable battlefields, andactions would occur concur-rently, with society as a cul-tural and not just a physicalentity.

It is wholly inconceiv-able that our bureaucrats andmilitary leadership are notfully conversant with thelinkages and ramifications ofthese developments. One can-not, however, say the same forour political establishment. Itseems to inhabit an alternateuniverse in which all thatmatters is promoting self-serving agendas, fuelling dis-sension and distrust, andwinning the next election onthe horizon. Unfortunately, bytheir actions and words, boththe military leadership and

civilian bureaucracy appear tohave forsaken their ownmoral and constitutionalresponsibilities and are busygenuflecting to the powersthat be.

The quicker we acceptthat we are already in themiddle of a war, in which ourvery survival as a nation is atstake, the better. In the com-ing battles, no quarter will begiven and losing is just not anoption. Instead of creatingpolarised vote-banks andblaming sections of societyfor falling prey to enemypropaganda, it is time that thedisparate elements of ourpolitical establishment cametogether to spread aware-ness as to the immense dan-gers we face. We can onlysurmount the challenges onlyif we face them unitedlyregardless of religion, caste,creed, ethnicity or gender. Italso calls for breaking downthe silos in which the secu-rity establishment prefers towork by reorganising andreorienting them to be able towork together seamlessly toface the challenge that thefourth generation warfarePoses.

(The writer, a military vet-eran, is a Visiting Fellow with theObserver Research Foundationand a Senior Visiting Fellowwith The Peninsula Foundation,Chennai.)

TRACTOR MORCHA IS NOT WORTH ITSir — The Samyukta Kisan Morcha(SAD) has stated that a tractor morcha willbe held on November 29 to Parliament.The winter session of Parliament is alsoscheduled around this period. The farm-ers had earlier called for a tractor paradeon Republic Day. The route of the tractorparade was decided after a meeting withthe Delhi Police. But as soon as the farm-ers tractor parade started, the riots brokeout. The Constitution gives every citizenthe right to agitate democratically for theirdemands. But no one has the right to hurtthe society. Protesting by harassing peo-ple means that only if the people areharassed the Government would take noteof the protest.

This is wrong. Fuel prices have goneup. How can a tractor march be affordable?The problem of air pollution in Delhi isalready very serious. Therefore, schoolsand colleges were forced to close physicalclasses. At the same time, insisting on atractor march means contributing toDelhi's pollution and playing with people'slives. Therefore, the police have to be care-ful not to provoke the protesters and makethe situation worse. The biggest challengefor the police is to keep the situation undercontrol. In short, the police are in troublefrom all sides.

Jayesh Rane | Mumbai

INDIA AWAITS THE ‘CHAK DE’ MOMENTSir — Ironically, being India's national sportnotwithstanding, hockey fails to enjoy duesignificance and attention it, otherwise,should have from the Sports Authoritiesof India (SAI) and the Governments,thanks to cricket occupying a lion's shareof space and hogging the media headlinesand leaving little or no room for hockeyeither internationally or at home. This,however, augurs well that India is going toorganise the 12th edition of the Men's FIHHockey Junior World Cup commencingfrom November 24 to last till December5, at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar ofOdisha.

There are 16 participant teams divid-ed in four pools to play as many as 48matches in all. The opener will be played

between Belgium and South Africa whileIndia will play its first match against Franceon the very first day at 19.30. At least fourmatches will take place daily while the finalwill be played on December 5. Interestingly,Pakistan's men’s hockey team reachedDelhi on Saturday, followed by the Koreanand and South African teams to partici-pate in the tournament that also comesacross as the latest joint attempt at people-to-people engagement between India andPakistan after reopening of the historicKartarpur Sahib corridor.

Azhar A Khan | Rampur

EVERYTHING’S NOT FAIR IN POLITICS Sir — The Andhra Pradesh politics is get-ting murkier day by day with horrible andatrocious comments being made by a fewYSRCP leaders like Kodali Nani andactress-turned-politician Roja, day in andday out. It is shocking to see Kodali Nani'sinsensitive comments on former ChiefMinister Chandrababu Naidu's son NaraLokesh. On the other hand, it is reallyfunny that Roja, who in fact stays in

Hyderabad for most of the time to shootfor different films and serials, com-ments that Naidu belongs to Hyderabadand should therefore confine himself toHyderabad only and not come to AndhraPradesh. This clearly shows that sincethese leaders have won elections bysuper majorities, they presume that theyare supernatural and can make such dis-graceful comments.

These leaders should know thatNaidu was the first Chief Minister dur-ing the crucial time of AP’s bifurcation.The State did not even have Assemblypremises in those times let alone otherstatutory requirements. Further, it is alsonot known as to why the Andhra ChiefMinister is not putting a break to suchvulgar and shameful comments by histeam members, being the son of amature and wise politician late YSRajasekhar Reddy.

Katuru Durga prasad Rao | Hyderabad

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

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VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2021

06

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Such a war would have no definable battlefields and actions would occurconcurrently, with society as a cultural and not just a physical entity

THE QUICKER WEACCEPT THAT WEARE ALREADY IN

THE MIDDLE OF AWAR, IN WHICH

OUR VERYSURVIVAL AS A

NATION IS ATSTAKE, THE BETTER.

IN THE COMINGBATTLES, NO

QUARTER WILL BEGIVEN AND LOSING

IS JUST NOT ANOPTION

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

DEEPAK SINHA

AB de Villiers won many hearts with every-thing that he did on the cricket field. Withhis leadership qualities and astounding

batting and fielding, the South African dyna-mite would spark a range of emotions fromrespect to admiration. In bidding adieu fromall forms of cricket through a simpleannouncement on twitter, ABD invoked allthese yet again. It is hard to imagine that ABDcould not win the elusive World Cup for South

Africa. However, when we visualise him playthose audacious strokes or take thoseamazing catches that capture his agility andathleticism, we realise why he is the king with-out a crown.

De Villiers's will be a career that is com-plete even without a replica of the World Cupon the mantel-piece. Talking of memories, wewill remember ABD as one of the gentlestsouls to have graced the game, and as oneof the most creatively destructive batsmenwho invoked fear in the minds of bowlers.And most importantly, we will remember himfor the dignity and grace with which he con-ducted himself all the time, both on and offthe field. He is an irreplaceable and giftedcricketer who was admired even by the rivalteams. Virat Kohli, who played with De Villiersfor Royal Challengers Bangalore for nineyears in the IPL, shared a heartfelt post onsocial media and expressed his love for ABD.

Ranganathan Sivakumar | Chennai

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers

Evolving paradigmsof the battleground

One need not be partic-ularly perceptive orsavvy to realise thatour regional and inter-

nal security environment isextremely fraught and fragile atthe present time. The US with-drawal from Afghanistan and thesubsequent collapse of theGovernment there, much like ahouse of cards, did come as anunpleasant surprise, especially asit turns out that the Pakistan’s ISIsupported Haqqani Faction nowcalls the shots within the Taliban.No wonder then that Pakistan isbecoming increasingly embold-ened and has once again turnedits attention with renewed vigourtowards fomenting trouble inJammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

In conjunction with this,there has also been a ratchetingup of tensions along the LACwith China. Along with its con-tinued intransigence in EasternLadakh, it also carried out amajor incursion in the BarahotiSector. In addition, it has report-edly established a large villagecum military encampment,allegedly on our side of the bor-der, in Arunachal Pradesh, withfresh reports of another as well.There are also similar reports ofestablishment of four such vil-lages within Bhutanese territoryas well.

There are also reports that itis constructing an alternativeroute into the Chumbi Valley,through Bhutanese territory, thatwould be less vulnerable to inter-ference and interdiction from ourpositions in Sikkim. This con-struction, when connected to thestretch earlier constructed inthe Doklam Plateau that leads tothe foothills of the JampheriRidge, will substantially enhancethe vulnerability of the strategi-cally vital Siliguri Corridor thatconnects the North East.

Our internal situation, too,has similarly become increasing-ly brittle. Not only has the insur-gency taken a turn for the worsein the Valley, given the steep risein militant activity, but what hasreally added to the uncertainty isthe targeted killings of civilians,especially from minority com-munities. In addition, the situa-tion in the Poonch-Rajouri sec-tor is fluid. Ongoing operations,in which the Army has suffered

SOUNDBITEI will contest fromPatiala. Patiala hasbeen with us for400 years and I amnot going to leave itdue to Sidhu.

Former Punjab Chief Minister —Capt Amarinder Singh

The controversysurrounding tennisprofessional PengShuai is not a diplo-matic question and

I'm not aware of the situation.

Chinese Foreign Ministryspokesperson —Zhao Lijian

Our emphasis on

good hospitals,

good schools and

good roads shows

that our focus is on

common people.

Delhi Chief Minister

—Arvind Kejriwal

Hopefully, my lastT20 match will be inChennai. Whetherit's next year, or infive years' time.

CSK skipper —MS Dhoni

The AIADMK, founded by matinee idol MG Ramachandran in 1972 and nurturedby his heir J Jayalalithaa, lost the 2021 Assembly election to the rival DMK andits allies by a narrow margin. The party was fighting an anti-incumbency wave

and managed to win 66 seats out of the 234 in stake. This shows that it gave a toughfight to the DMK and did not face any washout as forecasted by opinion polls. Theabsence of a charismatic leader like Jayalalithaa is very much experienced in theparty. The upcoming election to the local bodies and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls isgoing to be the AIADMK’s agnipareeksha. What is worrying the AIADMK cadre isthe three-way fight between Edappadi Palaniswami, O Panneerselvam and VK Sasikala,

the aide to late Jayalalithaa for the control of theparty. Sasikala, who served a four-year term in aBangalore jail in connection with the DisproportionateAssets Case and was released just before the 2021Assembly election, had been removed from theAIADMK by a specially convened General Councilmeeting by the EPS-OPS duo. But Sasikala claimsthat she is still the general secretary of the partyand issues statements on a daily basis. But thesestatements do not have any telephone numbers oremail ids or even the mailing address.

Jayalalithaa had ousted Sasikala and her rela-tions from the AIADMK and Veda Nilayam (Jayalalithaa’s elegant bungalow in Chennai)on December 19, 2011, by an order issued by none other than Amma herself. Shehad asked party cadres not to have any kind of contact with Sasikala or her familysince they had brought disrepute to the party. But on March 31, 2012, Sasikala ten-dered a public apology to the party cadre and declared that she would never everenter politics and her entire life has been dedicated to serve Amma. Sasikala returnedto Veda Nilayam on April 2, 2012, and since then she has been acting as a person-al aide to Jayalalithaa. Her close relations continued to be persona non grata in theAIADMK. Till date, it remains a mystery how TTV Dhinakaran and others returnedto Jayalalithaa’s bungalow and the AIADMK. Jayalalithaa had not issued any state-ments till the day she was admitted to a corporate hospital in September 2016. HenceSasikala’s claims that she was the general secretary of the AIADMK is dubious andhas to be investigated.

People should be able to exercise fundamental rights freely and without fear.Fundamental freedoms are not absolute and subject to limitations. They arecalled reasonable restrictions that are provided in the Constitution itself.

However, such freedoms should also, necessarily, be read with common sense.Vaccination complacency, a growing menace in the world, is a case in point. Millionsof people are out there, unwilling to get vaccinated, claiming it is a matter of choiceand that forcing them to get the vaccine infringes on their right to privacy andfreedom of life. The world has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by comingout with vaccines. Now it will have to come out with a common sense movementagainst complacency. One of the world’s prominent individuals who does not wantto answer if he is vaccinated is tennis ace Novak Djokovic. He is willing to pro-

tect his right to privacy even if it endangers hisparticipation in the Australian Open 2022 sched-uled for next January. Djokovic’s logic is thatwhether vaccinated or not, strict regulations at theAustralian Open insist on automatic quarantine forall for 14 days. “Doesn’t really matter whether it’svaccination or anything else in life. You should havethe freedom to choose, to decide what you wantto do. In this particular case, what you want toput in your body.” Tennis player Nick Kyrgios,though double vaccinated, backed Djokovic. ButAustralian Open chief Craig Tiley confirmed that

those who participate in the tournament need to be fully vaccinated. Former ten-nis legend Boris Becker played both sides, backing Djokovic’s “choice” but insist-ing that as a tennis player he will have to follow rules. Australia’s strict regula-tions are there for a reason. Victoria, where the tournament is held, is the hard-est-hit State in Australia and accounts for 1,268 deaths out of the country's totalof 1,922 and 109,000 of 194,000 overall cases.

Public figures, like Djokovic, have the power to influence public actions. Moreand more anti-vaccine enthusiasts in Europe are quoting him to defend their choice.Unrest is on the rise in Europe as we speak because Governments are coming downon people who refuse to get vaccinated. COVID-19 lockdowns are making a returnto ensure full vaccination. Greece, for instance, says nine out of 10 patients in hos-pitals are unvaccinated as of date. In Austria and The Netherlands, the protests spilledout into the streets. People in Switzerland, Croatia and Italy are also protesting thetough restrictions that target the unvaccinated. India has its own share of such peo-ple who slow down the vaccination process. Civic authorities, like in Aligarh, aremaking vaccination mandatory for lofting monthly from the PDS shops. They aresetting up inoculation facilities at these shops to make it easier for the people toget their jabs. Things should not be coming to this in a rational world.

Choice matters?

Aiyyo, Amma!The internal turbulence in the AIADMK can cast a shadow on its future electoral prospects

PICTALK

Artistes perform traditional martial arts to mark the birth anniversary of Harekrushna Mahatab, in Bhubaneswar PTI

As the world struggles to fight the virus, shouldthe COVID-19 vaccine be a matter of choice?

We’ve got to get inthe best shapebecause I don’t wantto put these fake,padded muscles in.

Actor—Dwayne Johnson

Another expansionistmove by the Dragon

SEND YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER TO THE

BORDER AND THEN CALL A TERRORIST

STATE HEAD YOUR BIG BROTHER.

—BJP LEADER

GAUTAM GAMBHIR

PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN

IS MY ELDER BROTHER. I AM GREATLY

HONOURED. HE GAVE US A LOT OF LOVE.

—PUNJAB CONGRESS PRESIDENT

NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU

If Pakistan gets more opportunities to play the Taliban card, it will project itself

as a victim and a representative of Islam and carry forward the agenda of Jihad

The decision to repeal the three farm laws is a sudden about-turnby the government which had a stern, "no negotiation" attitudetowards the protesting farmers. Though the news could not have

come at a better time than on Gurupurab for the protesting farmers,the jury is still out regarding the timing and purpose of the sudden deci-sion. Many economic and agricultural analysts are estimating the far-reaching impacts of this u-turn on the state of agriculture and econ-omy. In fact, a member of the farm panel appointed by the SupremeCourt opined that the repeal of the farm laws was regressive and thatthe government chose politics over farmer's betterment. As the rag-ing debates continue over the decision, agriculture sadly remains ina state of despair with marginal farmers plagued by debts and climatechange impact besides inadequate resources. Even when the farm lawswere initially announced they covered mainly the pricing mechanismsbut did not concern themselves with climate change, environment andfood security. Now that the same laws stand repealed the governmentagain did not take the opportunity to take care of the environmentalconcerns in addition to caring for the farmer's demands. The result is

an ignored environment that is still at the receiving end thanks to India'sarchaic agricultural practices. These outdated farming methodologiesare not only resource-intensive for the financially beleaguered farm-ers but also have a telling adverse impact on the environment in theform of plunging ground water tables, eroding topsoil, rising rate offarm fires and deforestation. The environment is already fighting a los-ing battle against climate change and man-made pollution issues. Therelentless onslaught of the backward agricultural practices is provingto be the proverbial death-knell for the environment and delicate ecol-ogy of the nation. The government that beat a hasty retreat in face ofthe farmer protests could have at least salvaged some pride by stand-ing up for the environment by announcing a slew of measures aimedto reduce the adverse impact of agriculture on ecology.

While repealing the farm laws the government could have intro-duced Agro-Environment laws that aimed to promote healthy practicessuch as biotech crops that utilize reduced or no tillage practices whichin turn brings down fuel consumption and aids in dialling down emis-sions. The increased stress on biotechnology driven agriculture at grassroot level, especially for marginal debt-ridden farmers would have notonly helped extract the poor farmer from the vicious cycle of debt butalso rescued the environment. If implemented effectively, this measurewould have brought down per acre greenhouse gas emissions dras-tically besides making the farmer environmentally conscious. Throughthe agro-environment laws the government could have also launchedspecial initiatives to promote the usage of cover crops typically legumesand grains after the main crop is harvested. This would help retain nitro-gen levels in the soil and prevent nutrient run-off. Also, adding con-servation buffers in the form of plants and shrubs along the farm bound-aries can absorb the runaway nutrients from the farmland and keepthe soil rich. In addition to these steps, an effective manure manage-ment plan coupled with nutrient management techniques can script aturnaround for the environment and start a new era of cohesive co-existence of agriculture and environment. Disengaging from farm lawsand refocusing on environment with the objective of ensuring the finan-cial well-being of the marginal farmer would have won accolades forthe government. It is still possible to achieve this provided the gov-ernment can see the writing on the wall.

(The writer is an environmental journalist. The views expressedare personal.)

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2021

07

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FIRSTCOLUMNFARM LAWS REPEALED:CONCERNS UNRESOLVED

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

KOTA SRIRAJ

NISHTA KAUSHIKI

Ensuring the financial well-being of marginalfarmers would have won accolades for the Govt

The China-Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEC), with itsKarakoram (land) and Gwadar(sea) projects, has a military signif-

icance to serve as important choke-pointsvis-à-vis India. However, as the Taliban hasrequested China to include Afghanistan inits project, the tip of the Wakhan corridorlocated at the China-Tajikistan-Afghanistantri-junction is all set to become the epicen-tre of terror and expansionism of China.

In the emerging scenario, the recent-ly concluded Delhi Dialogue broughtIndia along with the five Central AsianRepublics (CAR), Iran and Russia on thesame level playing field concerning thethreats faced from the Taliban andPakistan's rapid Talibanisation. Thesecountries are in the geographical vicinityof Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are nowset to become the terror-exporting hotspotsof South and Central Asia. Russian andIranian 'moment of victory' has passed, andthe realities now seem to be setting in. Thesame is the case with CAR, except forTajikistan. Immediately after the DelhiDialogue, the Troika Plus meeting was heldin Islamabad, bringing the US and Russiatogether on the negotiating table with theTaliban, China, and Pakistan.

On the other hand, three months havepassed since the Taliban's takeover, andPakistan has been unable to 'get' interna-tional recognition for it. However, an addeddimension is Pakistan threatening theinternational community, particularlyEurope,with consequences if the terroristsare not duly recognized.

Pakistan and the Taliban have alreadyshed their camouflage and openly declaredtheir intentions towards an Islamic emirate.The recent face-off between its army andPakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, theright to contest elections given to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and a truce withTehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) speakvolumes of it. Parallel developments suchas Tajikistan and Uzbekistan being wary ofthe Taliban and tightening security at theirborders, Turkey and Iran agreeing tocooperate to restrict the refugees fromAfghanistan and the refugee debate inEastern Europe hint at the future political-institutional challenges stemming out ofTaliban-Pakistan partnership.

The question is why the Taliban andPakistan are desperate for CPEC to beextended to Afghanistan? Why, despite set-ting the narratives of a US decline, theregion's countries are not feeling secure?The possible Chinese control of the Bagramairbase and the exploitation of the natur-al resources in Afghanistan has alreadybeen emphasized by many. However, thePak-Taliban game-plan is perhaps muchmore than what the world community,including China,can comprehend.

The world community is hesitant toaccommodate fundamentalism which iswhy despite Russia and China reacting'favourably' to the Taliban, they have notyet rushed to recognize the fundamental-

IT IS BEYONDDOUBT THAT

AFGHANS WILLNOT BE

GETTING ANYEMPLOYMENT

OPPORTUNITIESIN THE CORRIDOR

PROJECTS, ANDTHE LAND

AVAILABLE TOTHEM FOR

FARMING ANDOTHER SMALL

ECONOMICACTIVITIES

WOULD BE TAKENAWAY FROM

THEM AS THECASE HAS BEEN

IN PAKISTAN

ist regime.Previously, the Ayanakand Jiangsu-Hairatan railwayProjects failed to yield the expect-ed results. Pakistan and the Talibanhenceforth want to bank on thecountries of Europe so that they canassert themselves aggressively. Themore the stakeholders inAfghanistan, the better it is for themas the situation would get entangledeven further, ultimately benefitingthe two. The extension of OBORwill generate the following securi-ty implications:

First, it will expose the futurevulnerabilities of international tradeto ensure a smooth passage. TheTaliban and Pakistan would have tobe strategically, financially, anddiplomatically appeased, irrespec-tive of the countries' interests. IfPakistan gets more opportunities toplay the 'Taliban card', it will pro-ject itself as a 'victim' and a repre-sentative of Islam and would makeno hesitations to carry forward theagenda of Jihad by whatever meanspossible. There are many chancesthat the terror spillover effect wouldbe seen in China's Xinjiang region,the CAR, Iran, and Europe. ImranKhan's UN speech is an importantprecedent that signals that terrorgroups being used as foreign poli-cy instruments. Likewise, thenation-states of Eastern Europeand Central Asia will soon findthemselves entrapped in aStockholm Syndrome wherein sup-plying aid to Pakistan for 'control-ling' the fundamentalist elementswould increasingly be seen as aviable option by many. This wouldbe similar to the strategic trap inwhich the US too fell. It has to berecalled that from 2013 to 2018,Pakistan as a major non-NATO allywas given $34,183 million out of

which $257 million was forMigration and Refugee Assistanceand $4,075 million was for ForeignMilitary Financing. Probably offi-cials at Rawalpindi can betterexplain where the aid was utilized.Such a vicious circle does not yieldresults, and by the time Europe real-izes the same, it again might be toolate.

Secondly, it is beyond doubt thatthe Afghans will not be getting anyemployment opportunities in theCorridor projects, and the landavailable to them for farming andother small economic activitieswould be taken away from them asthe case has been in Pakistan. Insuch a scenario, the macro ethniccommunities of Afghanistan such asTajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras, Baluchs willcontinue to suffer and create refugeeproblems for the region, the impli-cations of which would be felt byEurope too. The projects would onlyreinforce the existing illegal supplyroutes of drugs, illegal child andwomen trafficking apart fromexporting terror.

The export of refugees andmigrants through the EasternMediterranean and Balkans routesto bring about deliberate demo-graphic changes and creating riftsamong the EU member-states onthe issue of human rights cannot beruled out. The oppressive policiesadopted for the corridor could alsoperhaps be utilized by the funda-mentalists to interfere in the domes-tic issues of the European countries,especially France. The refugee issuebeing used as a geopolitical tool hasbeen recently highlighted during thePoland-Belarus face off.

Thirdly, to ensure the safetyand the security of the Afghan cor-ridor, the armies of Pakistan and

China would further consolidatetheir stronghold not only inAfghanistan but also in Pakistan. Forinstance, Islamabad saw the forma-tion of the National Action Plan (a20-point action crackdown againstterrorists),which gave the army awide range of powers. With 'businessas usual' and the territory ofAfghanistan used as a transit passage,the route will be a bargaining chipin the hands of the fundamentalists.

Fourthly, through their prefer-ential access to Afghanistan'sWestern and Northern borders,Pakistan and China would pose aconsiderable tactical threat to Indiaand Tajikistan and definitely wouldadversely affect the Russian influ-ence in the region. What remains tobe seen is whether Russia would befurther willing to play a 'junior part-ner' to China and elevate Pakistanon the same level playing field as itis in terms of strategic utility?

Finally, the Taliban has mastereda communication strategy withcrisp English and mannerism todeceive the countries in the regionand beyond with its propagandawarfare. From giving statements ofits 'change of heart' to strategizingits 'foreign policy agenda', the nar-ratives that are being set to portraythe Taliban as the rightful heir ofAfghanistan set a precedent that var-ious terrorist and extremist groupswould emulate throughout theworld. If China goes ahead with itsAfghan corridor given the abovefactors, it would be seen as anoth-er expansionist move of the Dragon.Thus, it becomes essential thatAsia, Europe, and the U.S. cometogether to convey their displeasureby not letting the Afghan corridorbe used for trade even if OBOR isextended to it.

(The writer is an AssistantProfessor at Central

University of Punjab,Bathinda. The views

expressed are personal.)

Crop residue managementis a major issue in India'sagriculture sector, which

is related to not just farm econ-omy and farmers' welfare butalso to environmental qualityand health of the people.

The Nature ConservancyCentre (TNC), along with sev-eral partners, undertook a sys-tematic review of ten availableoptions for managing rice cropresidue, which was publishedin Science in 2019. The studyidentified Happy Seeder (HS)— a conservation agriculturetechnology — as the mostsuitable alternative for farmers.

HS cuts and lifts straw,sows wheat and returns therice straw onto the sown areasas mulch. In the short term, itreduces the number of opera-tions and inputs needed, sav-ing time and money for the

farmers, and reducing air pol-lution. In the long term, HSimproves soil quality, increas-es crop yield, and reduces theenvironmental footprint offarming. TNC and its partners(Borlaug Institute for SouthAsia and International Maizeand Wheat ImprovementCenter), with support from theTata Trusts, are implementingproject HARIT in Punjab andHaryana. The project hasshown that HS could increasefarmers' profit by 15 per cent,while providing many otherlong-term benefits. However,farmers need support to tran-sition to such technologies.

The central and state gov-ernments have undertakenseveral initiatives to addressthe crop residue managementissue. The central governmenthas formulated a National

Policy for Management ofCrop Residue, which pro-motes in-situ managementthrough the direct incorpora-tion of crop residue into soilsas mulch. It has releasedaround Rs 2,500 croresbetween 2018-19 and 2021-22(up to June 2021) to supportPunjab, Haryana, UP andNCT of Delhi for subsidisingCRM machines. The farmersof these states have availed sub-sidies on CRM machines(including HS) — 50 per centfor individual farmers and 80

per cent for cooperatives andfarmers' groups through cus-tom hiring centres. Nearly1,15,000 machines have beensubsidized in Punjab andHaryana alone, and approxi-mately 12,500 and 3,000 CHCshave been set up in both thestates, respectively.

However, there is a needfor innovative and targetedcommunication to createawareness about the advan-tages of HS. First, the farmersneed to be convinced thatusing HS will enhance their netprofit. Second, farmers need tobe technically equipped toadopt the recommended prac-tices. They need to be trainedon the machine operation andmaintenance as well changesrequired in agronomical prac-tices. Third, appropriate mon-itoring mechanisms need to be

set up to effectively match thedemand and supply of CRMmachines in different regions.Fourth, high intensity burnareas as well as learning sitesneed to be identified (wherethere is substantial reductionin residue burning over a peri-od of time) using remote sens-ing and geographic informa-tion system (GIS) technologiesand this information needs tobe shared with CRM stake-holders. Fifth, CHCs need tobe made fully functional asviable rental business units,capable of delivering all CRMservices to the farmers in atimely and cost-effective man-ner, including availability ofequipment and operators inthe peak season as well asproper maintenance ofmachines for optimal results.Sixth, primary agricultural

cooperative societies (PACS)need to be supported toimprove their utilization ofCRM machines. Finally, per-formance-based incentivemechanisms need to be devel-oped, considering factors suchas number of acres covered perCRM machine.

The government and otherresearch institutions' initia-tives need to be complement-ed with efforts by civil societyto address social barriers andinformation gaps, so thatadoption and use of HS couldbe accelerated. The HARITand the Tata Trusts' RevivingGreen Revolution initiative tosupport farmers in selected vil-lages across 16 districts ofPunjab and Haryana are goodmodels to build on, wherefarmers are equipped withappropriate information and

skills to adopt HS machinesand align their agriculturalpractices for optimal results.

With help from the gov-ernment, scientists and civilsociety organizations, farmersof northwest India can rapid-ly adopt technologies that canbenefit them and the largersociety. It is high time to ini-tiate discussions and collabo-rations among key stakehold-ers to address the CRM issue.Any investment in CRM islikely to yield several foldreturns that include betterreturns for the famers,improved soil health as wellhealth of the communities.Remunerative crop diversifica-tion initiatives with properprocurement and market link-ages need to be launched torationalize the area under riceand other crops.

The government and research institutions' initiatives need to be complemented with efforts by civil society to address social barriers and information gaps

Crop residue management: A collaborative approach

SUSHIL

SAIGAL

MANOJ

SINGH

(Saigal is Director of Programsand Singh, Project Head — CropResidue Management, TNC (TheNature Conservancy Centre. The

views expressed are personal.)

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2021 Money 08

PNS n NEW DELHI

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) hasruled out getting back into thediesel segment as it believes saleof such vehicles would furthercome down with the onset ofthe next phase of emissionnorms in 2023, according to asenior company official.

The country's largest car-maker believes the next phaseof emission norms would jackup the cost of diesel vehicles,thus further impacting theirsales in the market which forthe last few years has seen agradual shift towards petrolcars. "We are not going to bein the diesel space. We hadindicated earlier that we willstudy it and if there is customerdemand we can make a come-back. But going forward, wewill not be participating in thediesel space," MSI ChiefTechnical Officer C V Ramantold PTI in an interaction.

He cited the upcomingstricter emission norms as aprimary reason to avoid diesel-powered cars.

"In 2023 the new phase ofemission norms will comewhich is likely to drive up thecost. So we believe that diesel

percentages may further comedown. We do not know aboutthe competition but as MSI wedo not have any intention toparticipate in the diesel space,"Raman noted.

As per industry estimates,the share of diesel vehicles iscurrently less than 17 per centof the overall passenger vehi-cle (PV) sales. It is a massive

reduction from 2013-14 whendiesel cars used to account for60 per cent of the overall sales.

Already many of theautomakers in the countryhave junked diesel trims oftheir respective portfolios withthe onset of the BS-VI emissionregime from April 1, 2020.

MSI had discontinued dieselmodels from its portfolio with

the onset of the stricter BS-VIemission norms.

The company's entire modelrange is currently powered byBS-VI compliant 1 litre, 1.2 litreand 1.5 litre gasoline engines.It also offers CNG trims acrossseven of its models.

Raman said the companywould focus on improving itsexisting petrol powertrains in

terms of fuel efficiency andgoing ahead, may also look ata new family of engines topower its product portfolio.

"We have said that we willimprove our existing power-trains which is already happen-ing. The new K10-C engine inCelerio is one improvement.Similarly, the 1.2 litre enginehas undergone some change.So from a fuel efficiency per-spective, we will improve ourinternal combustion enginetechnology," he stated.

As per the company, itsrecently introduced all-newversion of Celerio returns afuel efficiency of 26.68km/litre, which it claims is thehighest for any petrol-poweredcar in India. Raman said thecompany would also enhanceelectrification aspects in itscars like start-stop technology.

"We already have the mildhybrid technology at the high-er end. Besides, we are prop-agating more CNG because ofthe low running cost. Sevenout of 15 models already havethe CNG trims. In future,more brands will come withthe technology," he added.

There would be hybridtechnologies and electric vehi-

cles (EVs) going ahead, sothere is going to be a lot ofchange from powertrain per-spective, Raman noted.Commenting on other alter-nate fuels, he said the compa-ny already is ethanol 10 percent (E10) compliant and asper the fuel availability, 2023onwards E20 will be madeavailable.

"So we will also make allour vehicles compliant toE20 from 2023. In terms offlex fuels, yes we will study,but there are issues in termsof fuel availability."We are notvery sure about when it willbe available and its pricing aswell. But we will obviouslystudy that. Such enginesrequire certain lead time fordevelopment and customeracceptance is also a factor,"Raman said. He noted thatthe company is aware of thechanges that are taking placein the industry in terms oftechnologies and features."We will also be there to meetwhatever is the customer'sneed in terms of design, interms of performance, interms of comfort, conve-nience, features and tech-nology," he said.

Maruti to stay away from diesel segment

PNS n NEW DELHI

The petroleum ministry's pro-posal to give away ONGC'sbiggest oil and gas fields to for-eign companies has met withstrong resistance from the offi-cers union of the company,which has said that the govern-ment should empower andgive the company a level-play-ing field rather than givingaway its prime assets to the pri-vate sector on a platter.

The Association of Scientific& Technical Offices of ONGCpetitioned Oil MinisterHardeep Singh Puri against aproposal put by Amar Nath,additional secretary (explo-ration) in the Ministry ofPetroleum and Natural Gas, forgiving away 60 per cent stakeand operatorship of MumbaiHigh and Bassein & Satellite(B&S) offshore assets to inter-national partners for raisingoutput.

The union, which representsONGC's 17,000 officers, saidthe company and its employeesare completely aligned with

the government objective ofraising domestic productionto cut imports, and for this tohappen ONGC should be giventhe same fiscal and regulatoryregime as the private sectorenjoys for exploring and pro-ducing oil and gas.

The government-dictatedbelow market price gas pricefixation for ONGC fieldsshould be reviewed to makeproduction from smaller andremote fields viable, it wrote toPuri on November 11. Also,ONGC should be given free-dom to market small pools ofnatural gas which in presentprice regime are unviable.

Statutory clearances andauthorities for ONGC need tobe optimised and proceduralaspects rejigged to help thefirm take faster decisions.

Farming out stake in "exist-ing fields shall not yield thedesired results of enhancingdomestic production, insteadit will provide a level playingfield and empower ONGC tofurther enhance productivity,"the union wrote.

Move to give away MumbaiHigh field to pvt sectorupsets ONGC union

PNS n NEW DELHI

Over four lakh CommonService Centres (CSCs),which act as access points fordelivery of digital services,have recorded more than80 per cent of unorganisedsector workers so far in lastthree months of operation ofe-Shram portal in the coun-try, latest data shows.

According to the latestdata available on the e-Shram portal, as many as8.43 crore informal sectorworkers have been regis-tered so far, out of which 6.77crore or 80.24 per centenrolled through CSCs.

CSCs are the access pointsfor delivery of various elec-

tronic services to villages inIndia. The data also showedthat 19.66 per cent or 1.65crore informal workers reg-

istered on the portal them-selves.

However, the proportionof such workers registering

through state seva kendras isjust 0.1 per cent.

Talking to PTI, CSC SPVManaging Director DrDinesh Tyagi said, "e-Shramregistration needs mobilisa-tion of eligible workers, advo-cacy for the scheme andtechnical support in enablingregistration."

Tyagi further said that theCSC VLE (Village-LevelEntrepreneur) being local,having credibility in thecommunity and possessingthe desired computing infra-structure including biomet-ric authentication, plays asignificant role in supportingthe government in thisunique initiative. He alsosaid that the CSCs are also

supporting state govern-ments in organising campsfor the same.

"We would like the CSCsto become labour welfarecentres and help every work-er get his/her due benefitunder central/state govern-ment schemes," he added.

The CSC E-GovernanceIndia Ltd (CSC SPV), a spe-cial purpose vehicle underthe Ministry of Electronics &IT, provides a host of elec-tronic services to consumersthrough its common ser-vice centres.

The e-Shram portal is tohelp build a comprehensiveNational Database ofUnorganized Workers(NDUW) in the country.

MONEY MATTERS

Drug major Sun PharmaceuticalIndustries is recalling over 1.10

lakh bottles of a generic medicationused to treat erectile dysfunction inmen in the US market due to amanufacturing error. The US arm ofthe domestic pharma major isrecalling Tadalafil tablets in the

American market, according to the latest enforcement report of theUS Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). The Mumbai-baseddrugmaker is recalling the product in 30-count bottles of 5mg and 20mg strengths. The company is recalling 73,957 bottles of 5 mgstrength and 36,786 bottles of 20 mg strength, the US healthregulator stated. An affected lot of the medication was manufacturedby the drug maker in India and distributed in the US by Princeton,New Jersey-based Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc, it said.Elaborating on the reasons for the Class II recall, the USFDA said: "Anincorrect grade of Crospovidone was used to manufacture theproduct.”

Sun Pharma recalls over 1.10 lakhbottles of generic drug in US market

The combined market valuationof nine of 10 most valuedcompanies declined by Rs

1,47,360.93 crore last week, withReliance Industries emerging asthe biggest laggard. Infosys wasthe only gainer from the top-10list. During the holiday-truncatedweek, the 30-share BSE

benchmark Sensex tumbled 1,050.68 points or 1.73 per cent.Markets were closed on Friday on account of 'Guru Nanak Jayanti'.The market valuation of Reliance Industries Limited tumbled Rs75,961.53 crore to reach Rs 15,68,550.17 crore. The marketcapitalisation (m-cap) of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) tankedRs 18,069.87 crore to Rs 12,85,660.79 crore. HDFC's valuationeroded by Rs 12,321.11 crore to stand at Rs 5,29,236.66 crore andthat of Kotak Mahindra Bank declined by Rs 9,816.28 crore to Rs4,01,367.04 crore. The valuation of ICICI Bank plunged Rs9,409.46 crore to Rs 5,29,606.94 crore and that of HDFC Bankwent lower by Rs 7,904.08 crore to Rs 8,52,532.36 crore.

Equity markets would watch outfor global cues in absence ofany major event on the domestic

front, and indices may face volatilityin view of the scheduled derivativesexpiry this week, analysts said.

"During the week, volatility islikely to remain high due to thescheduled derivatives expiry of

November month contracts on November 25. At the same time, thefocus would largely remain on the global markets for cues, inabsence of any major event on the domestic front," said Ajit Mishra,VP Research, Religare Broking. Yesha Shah, Head of EquityResearch, Samco Securities, said, "As the result season is through,D-Street will look for cues from international factors to decide itsmovement. In the absence of any positive triggers, indices areexpected to remain under pressure as markets have been embracinga 'sell on rise' mood.

Global factors to guide markets;stocks may face volatility: Analysts

Nine of top-10 firms lose Rs 1.47 lakhcr in m-cap; RIL biggest laggard

PNS n NEW DELHI

Tata Technologies, a globalengineering and productdevelopment digital servicesfirm, expects to clock close tohalf a billion dollars in revenuethis fiscal, riding on accelerat-ed growth from electric mobil-ity across the globe and off-shoring of projects by its cus-tomers in the aftermath ofCOVID-19, according to atop company official.

The company, which hadwitnessed a "precipitousdrop" in revenue at the begin-ning of the pandemic, hadclocked a revenue of USD119.3 million in the secondquarter of the ongoing fiscalas compared to USD 80.1million in the same period of

FY21. "We've seen sequential

quarter on quarter growthnow for the last six quartersand we expect that to contin-ue. We had a precipitousdrop in revenue at the begin-ning of COVID-19. We've

seen all of that come back. "This year (fiscal) for the

first time in our history, we'llget close to half a billion dol-lars (revenue)," TataTechnologies CEO andManaging Director WarrenHarris told PTI.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Commerce Ministry's for-eign trade arm DGFT willdeactivate all importer-exporter codes (IECs) thathave not been updated afterJanuary 1, 2014, with effectfrom December 6, 2021, amove which would help inknowing the actual number of

real traders in the country.The Importer-Exporter

Code (IEC) is a key businessidentification number that ismandatory for exports orimports. No person shall makeany import or export exceptunder an IEC number grantedby the DGFT.

On August 8, this year, theDirectorate General of Foreign

Trade (DGFT) had directed allIEC holders to ensure thatdetails in their IEC are updat-ed electronically every yearduring the April-June period.

"All IECs which have notbeen updated after January 1,2014 shall be deactivated witheffect from December 6, 2021,"according to DGFT's tradenotice.

The IEC holders who havenot yet updated the relevantinformation can do that tillDecember 5. IEC that would bedeactivated, would have theopportunity for automatic re-activation after December 6.For that, a trader would haveto navigate to the DGFT web-site and update their relevantinformation.

Unupdated importer-exporter codes to be nixed

PNS n NEW DELHI

State Bank of India (SBI) isyet to return Rs 164 crore ofundue fee charged from theaccount holders of PradhanMantri Jan Dhan Yojana(PMJDY) towards digital pay-ments during April 2017 andDecember 2019, a reportsaid.

"On directions from thegovernment, SBI has returnedjust about Rs 90 crore, there-by withholding the biggerchunk of at least Rs 164 crorewith itself," said the reportprepared by IIT-Mumbai.

It said that during April2017 to September 2020, SBIhad collected over Rs 254crore towards at least 14 croreUPI/ RuPay transactions bycharging Rs 17.70 per trans-actions on BSBDA (BasicSavings Bank Deposit

Account) customers underthe Pradhan Mantri Jan DhanYojana (PMJDY).

Queries sent to the coun-try's largest lender on returnof charges levied on debittransactions done by suchaccount holders during thesaid period of 33 monthsdid not elicit any response.

Since June 1, 2017, unlikeany other bank in India, thereport said, SBI charged Rs17.70 for every debit transac-tion beyond four a month.

Debit transaction meansany withdrawal transactionthat includes cash withdraw-al, Unified Payments Interface(UPI), Immediate PaymentService (IMPS), NationalElectronic Funds Transfer(NEFT), Real-Time GrossSettlement (RTGS) pre-authorised standing instruc-tion, cheque, etc.

SBI yet to refund Rs 164 croreto Jan Dhan a/c holders

PNS n NEW DELHI

Denim maker Vishal Fabricsaims for a Rs 2,000 crore top-line in the next two fiscals,helped by expansion in thedomestic market led byincreasing adaptability ofdenim and exports, where it isexploring new markets acrossother geographies, said a topcompany official.

Vishal Fabrics is also invest-ing in the expansion of its cur-rent capacity to increase denimproduction, which will help itto cater for the increasingdomestic demand as well as thenew exports market.

The Ahmedabad-basedcompany is also encouraged bythe two “exceptional quarters”in the first half of this fiscal, inwhich it has crossed a top-line

of Rs 697 crore, said VishalFabrics CFO Vinay Thadani.

Like other companies, VishalFabrics, part of Rs 10,000 croreconglomerate Chiripal Group,had taken a hit in its revenuein the pandemic impacted

FY21, but has now recovered."This year, we have already

completed Rs 700 crore and wehave a target to close this fis-cal between Rs 1,400 to Rs1,500 crore; and with the addedcapacity, we are targeting

around Rs 1,600 crore next fis-cal. In the next three years (FY2023-24), we see Vishal Fabricsas a company having a Rs 2,000crore plus top-line, "VishalFabrics CFO Vinay Thadanitold PTI For the fiscal yearended on March 31, 2021, therevenue of Vishal Fabrics wasRs 967.54 crore. Its revenuefrom operations in the pre-pandemic fiscal year FY 2019-20 was at Rs 1,296.84 crore.

Vishal Fabrics caters to thepremium and the super-premi-um end of the denim segment.

"Our realisation of per meterin the fabric is around Rs 200and in the last quarter we hadclosed at around Rs 215,whereas comparing to this ourpeers have a realisation rangebetween Rs 90 to Rs 140 only,"he added.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Insurtech company RenewBuyis planning to come up with itsinitial public offering (IPO) inabout two years from now,banking on the healthy growthof business and a strong pedi-gree, its CEO and co-founderBalachander Sekhar said.

The agent-led digital-driveninsurtech company wasfounded in 2015 by Sekharand Indraneel Chatterjee tobridge the demand-supply gapof insurance in the semi-urban and rural areas in India.

"There was an acceptance ofthis idea, that if we got ourability to scale and we wereable to reach this scale, we willcertainly list in the market. It

is a healthy business. We areone of the most professional-ly managed companies in thissector. All of us have strongprior experience and a strongpedigree.

"So, with all the reasons, Ithink it is a question of when.In our view, we are probably ayear or two away from that(IPO)... I would say verysoon," Balachander Sekhar,CEO and co-founder ofRenewBuy, told PTI in aninteraction.

He added that it is not justthe founding and manage-ment team but across theboard, RenewBuy has builtone of the most professional-ly managed teams with highgovernance standards.

PNS n NEW DELHI

With the net direct tax collec-tion till October closing in onRs 6 lakh crore and averagemonthly GST mop-up likelyaround Rs 1.15 lakh crore thisfiscal, the government's tax col-lection kitty will surpass bud-get estimates this financialyear, Revenue Secretary TarunBajaj said.

In an interview with PTI,Bajaj said the relief in exciseduty on petrol and diesel andcustoms duty on edible oil willcost the exchequer about Rs80,000 crore this financialyear, and the revenue depart-ment will start calculating the

tax mop-up position vis-a-visbudget estimates for this fis-cal after the Decemberadvance tax number.

"After refunds also, wehave touched almost Rs 6lakh crore till October indirect taxes... It is looking

good. Hopefully, we shouldexceed it.

"Though we have given alot of relief in indirect taxes inpetrol, diesel and edible oil,also there are some sunset thathave come in customs dutywhere the total benefit wouldbe about Rs 75,000-80,000crore, but still I think weshould exceed the budgetedestimates on both direct andindirect taxes," Bajaj said.

The government has bud-geted a 9.5 per cent growth intax collections at Rs 22.2 lakhcrore for 2021-22 fiscal (April-March). In the last fiscal, themop-up was Rs 20.2 lakhcrore.

PNS n KOLKATA

B K Birla Group flagshipKesoram Industries boardon Saturday approved toraise fund up to Rs. 2,500crore to lower the cost of bor-rowing to replace high-costNCDs and OCDs.

The company had raisedabout Rs 1,900 crore Non-Convertible Debentures(NCDs) and OptionallyConvertible Debentures(OCDs) in the past for bankdebt restructuring at nearly20 per cent interest ratethrough a private place-ment. The companyinformed that it can raise thefresh funds by way of equi-ty, bond, foreign currencyfloats, or other instruments.

Kesoram Industries

board gives nod to

raise up to Rs 2,500cr

RenewBuy plans to come upwith IPO in 2 years: CEO

Tata Technologies eyes aboutUS$ 500 mn revenue this fiscal

Vishal Fabrics aims Rs 2,000 cr top-line

Govt to exceed FY22 target, directtax mop-up at Rs 6 lakh cr till Oct

Over 80 pc informal workers register on e-Shram portalCOMMON SERVICE CENTRES

9

Vijayawada Monday November 22, 2021 what’s brewing?

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SPEED BUMP

FUN

John Abraham is backwith the second install-ment of his vigilante

actioner Satyameva Jayate inwhich the actor stars in atriple role, something he saidwas a challenge.

The film is a sequel to his2018 hit of the same name. Itfeatured Abraham asVirendra Rathod, who killscorrupt police officers, whileNational Award winnerManoj Bajpayee played anhonest cop.

In the second part, sched-uled to be released in the-atres on November 25,Abraham will again be seenfighting corruption this timein Lucknow.

The actor plays three rolesin the film— of a farmer-father and his twin sons,who are a cop and apolitician.

“It is very daunt-ing to play all theseroles in one film.One part was like abreeze because inthe first film Iplayed a similar roleof a vigilante. Theother character is a cop forwhich I would shoot two-three scenes a day. I couldn’tget the hang of this guy

(character) initially but final-ly we nailed it. He is veryinteresting in the film.

Besides, we had to get thedistinction right between abrooding and funny guy.My favourite characteris the father, it hasturned out to be out-standing in terms ofheroism,” Abrahamrevealed in a recentinterview.

The Mumbai Sagaactor said the key rea-son to make the secondpart was therecep-tion

of theaudience tothe firstmovie.

“The ideais to make a

good film and entertaineveryone. People loved thefirst one so much. The firstpart of everything is a testing

ground because mostof them don’t

work hence wedon’t see morefranchises.There are veryfew films thatwork andwhich is whythere is a

demand to seethe second part.

A film

works only if the audiencehas liked it, if it fails it isbecause the audience has notliked it. We wanted to makea large screen entertainerthis time and SatyamevaJayate 2 is that,” he added.

Abraham, 48, further saidthe only similarity betweenthe first and the second filmis the theme of corruption.

“This new film is a com-pletely different story. Theonly thing common is that avigilante is going to take oncorruption,” he said.Everybody is a vigilante atthe end like the superheroesin Hollywood, the actor said.

“There is a lot of corrup-tion that exists in the world

and vigilantes will exist onthe big screen and how

they are portrayed isevery director’s

own language...”Directed byMilap Zaveri,SatyamevaJayate 2 isproduced by

T-Series andEmmay

Entertainment.Divya Khosla Kumar,

Rajeev Pillai and Anup Sonialso round out the cast ofSatyameva Jayate 2.

Daunting to play triple rolein Satyameva Jayate

sequel, says John Abraham

Actors Ajay Devgn,Sidharth Malhotra andRakul Preet Singh-led

slice of life comedy ThankGod is set to hit cin-ema halls on July29, 2022, mak-ersannouncedonSunday.

Tha nkGod ishelmedby film-makerIndraKumar andproduced byBhushanKumar, KrishanKumar, AshokThakeria, Sunir Kheterpal,Deepak Mukut, AnandPandit and MarkandAdhikari. It is co-producedby Yash Shah. “The much-anticipated film Thank God isall set to bring you joy nextyear. This hilarious slice oflife film with a message willrelease on 29th July 2022,” a

note from the makers read.Kumar has helmed dramas

like Dil, Beta, Ishq, Mannin the ‘90s before chang-

ing gears and direct-ing comedy

franchises likeMasti

andDhamaal.

In anearlierinter-view,SidhartMalhotra

had saidThank God

is a sweet,contemporary

film with a “lovelymessage.”

The Shershaah actor hadsaid that, “For me, it is allabout the messaging andwhat the film is trying tosay.

I assure people that theywill be surprised. Thank Godtalks about gratitude, whichis needed today more thanever.”

Ajay Devgn, Sidharth's ThankGod locks 2022 release date

Netflix and RiotGames con-firmed the pro-

duction of the secondSeason of Arcane, an ani-mated series based on theLeague of Legends.

The two companiesmade the announcementat the conclusion of a fanevent on Saturdayevening.

Christian Linke, AlexYee and co-creators of theseries released a state-ment.

The second season ofThe League Of LegendsPrequels Arena. The sec-ond season will be airedon Netflix in the fall.Details about it are notyet available, however,Ella Purnell, KatieLeung andHaileeSteinfeldhave beenconfirmedas reprisingtheir rolesof Vi and Jinx.

Netflixdebutedthe first

Season of Arcane onNovember 6. The serieswas released as threechapters, each featuringthree episodes.

Arcane is set in the uni-verse of Riot Games andacts as the prequel to thegame League of Legends,an extremely popularonline battle-arena gamethat was first published in2009 by Riot Games. Inesports, League is now amajor title.

Riot Games was startedin 2006 in Los Angeles byMarc Merrill, BrandonBeck, and it is now led byCEO Nicolo Laurent.More than 2500 employ-ees work for the companyaround the world.

Natasha Liu Bordizzo(The Society) hasbeen cast as a lead

opposite Rosario Dawsonin the Disney+ limitedseries Star Wars: Ahsoka, aspinoff from the streamer’shit series TheMandalorian, according tosources. Rumour has itthat Bordizzo will be tak-ing on the character ofSabine Wren from the StarWars Rebels animatedseries. Reps fromLucasfilm and Bordizzodid not return emails seek-ing comment.

Dawson stars as AhsokaTano in the limited seriesafter making the StarWars: Clone Wars andRebels character’s live-action debut in TheMandalorian. The off-shoot, written by DaveFiloni and executive pro-duced by Filoni and JonFavreau, will continueAhsoka’s story.

No additional informa-tion about the new serieshas been released byLucasfilm, but there hasbeen a lot of online specu-lation that key characters

from Rebels such as SabineWren and Ezra Bridgerwould join Ahsoka in thenew show.

That is because, prior todropping in on TheMandalorian to assess theChild, Ahsoka was lastseen in the series finale ofRebels, where she andWren set out to findBridger, who had beenwhisked away by thePurrgil.

Sabine Wren, who wasvoiced on Rebels by TiyaSircar, is a youngMandalorian warrior and

graffiti artist, ImperialAcademy dropout and aformer bounty hunter withexpert knowledge ofweapons and explosives.

Ahsoka, which is eyeinga March production startdate, according to aProduction Weekly listing,also is expected to featurean appearance by HaydenChristensen as AnakinSkywalker, who wouldreunite with his JediPadawan, Ahsoka, likely inflashbacks as the series isset five years after Returnof the Jedi.

Bordizzo made herscreen debut as Snow Vasein Netflix’s CrouchingTiger, Hidden Dragon:Sword of Destiny. She alsostarred on the streamer’sseries The Society and inthe 2019 film Crazy AboutYou. Her feature creditsalso include The Voyeurs,Detective Chinatown 2,Guns Akimbo and HotelMumbai. She will next beseen in Day Shift.

Per sources, Dave Filoniis to pen the script, andproduction is aiming for aMarch 2022 start date.

Star Wars: Ahsoka:Natasha Liu BordizzoTo Play Sabine WrenIn Disney+ Series

The Second Season OfThe League Of Legendsprequels Arena

SHIKHA DUGGAL

Apiece of good news forall the fans of Raftaar!After a long hiatus, star

singer-rapper is seen trendingon YouTube with RashmeetKaur in Ghana Kasoota!Raftaar, aka Dillin Nair,learned early on in his lifethat music knows no bound-aries or language. Taking thatahead, he now has his stu-pendous successful Haryanvitrack that many of us are lis-tening on loop. This fire-cracker of a track embodies amainstream appeal blendingsome desi swag with contem-porary hip hop beats, withtelevision actress Surbhi Jyotias the face of the song. ThePioneer spoke to Raftaar toknow where he was all thiswhile, and how he came upwith Ghana Kasoota track. Anextremely down-to-earth per-son, he was immense-ly overwhelmedwith all thelove hehas beengarner-ingfromacrossthecoun-try alloveragain.Sodeeplyrooted to hiscultural values,the interview itselfbegan on a note of “Namaste”— that's the multi-facetedRaftaar for you.

Having the ability to pendown lyrics that leave animpression on you for themost longest time- is what therapper is a master at. “I amjust fulfilling my passion, it’sthe fandom and press that letsus know as a singer whethermy track is hit or not. For meto write influential lyrics, Ihave to reflect myself intothem. I have ancestral roots toHaryana, and have studied inSonipat. Spending those twoyears in Haryana, the staterubs onto me," says Raftaar. Itwasn’t his first time playingtith regional languages, if you

follow the rapper from theRoadies season, you may beaware of the entertainmenttask, where in few minutes,Raftaar was onstage singing anAssamese song!

The bouncy basslines, ear-worm melodies, catchy lyrics

and Bollywood-esquesoundscape lend to

the track’s corenarrative where

the slang GhanaKasoota,meaning“totally awe-some”, comesinto play.

The mix ofBajre De Sitta

fame RashmeetKaur and Naagin

of the television,Surbhi Jyoti, was one

of the most freshest col-laboration of the recent

times! Talking more about it,he says, “I was sure Rashmeetwould be the correct person tosing the female chorus forGhana Kasoota since she’s soversatile in her craft.You canmake her sing western andclassical at the same time, sheknows how to jump on thoseranges easily. People have thisassumption that Haryanvisounds rude howeverRashmeet made it to so enter-taining, even when listening toit on loop. She sang withsweetness and 'adah' both.Basically, we wanted to kill theidea that Haryanvi soundsrude. At the same time, I sharea very sisterly bond withRashmeet and couldn’t have

romanced her on-screen. Itwas a big no-no for me, andthere Surbhi made her entry.My mum was so excited to seeSurbhi starring alongside me,she watches her on televisionand finds her so hardworking.”Raftaar continues to describeSurbhi Jyoti as the desi girlwith an urban mindset hailingfrom Jalandhar, and doing sowell for herself today. Theyneeded a girl-next-door andSurbhi was a perfect fit for therole. While shooting the songwith her, Raftaar recalls thelead actress’ curiosity to knowall about hip-hop.

The stylized music videoshot by music director B2geth-er Bros in the beautiful localesof Fairmont Hotel and AmerPalace in Jaipur, and imbibes acontrasting palette of glossyurban hues and colourful vin-tage hues, which are furtherbrought to life by eclecticfreestyle-themed choreogra-phy. “I love the word ‘GhanaKasoota’, my friends are sofond of it that even I got itonto my lips. There is ‘GhanaKasoota’ in every sentence oftheirs — ‘Shimla jare the,mausam ghana kasoota horatha’. It’s an emotion, it’sHaryana’s full power punch-line,” he said. Like any otherhuman being on this planetEarth, Raftaar is aware of thenotion how everyone’s seekingfor acknowledgement and sois he. Not knowing intiallythat he’s the first celebrityfrom India who acceptedremuneration in the form ofdigital currency, he actually

started thecryptoappetitein theenter-tain-mentindustry.And noweveryother film-star is not justinvesting in cryptoor NFTs but alsoaccepting remuner-ation in the sameform. He alsoadded, “I had noidea it will turnout to be a bigtrend! I did itbecause I am atech-savvy guy,I will movewith the world.Can never goagainst technology.Evolution is theneed of hour, cryp-tocurrency is thefuture. None of uscan deny it. It hasmade life simpler fortransactions.” For therapper, Ghana Kasootais about waking upeach day and feelinggood about yourself irre-spective of your circum-stances. This song is allabout letting your innerchild free, grabbing yourfavourite dancing shoesand setting the floor onfire and it’s been a whilesince humankind hasdone that!

GHANAKASOOTA

Raftaar is feeling

What's on the inside shows outsideW

e as humans,experiencethoughts and

emotions that can affect ourhealth in various ways.Emotions are an essentialpart of our health.Emotionally strong peopleare usually in the power oftheir feelings, thoughts, andexpressions. Theyre betterable to cope with thechallenges that life throwstowards them. It issignificant to understandthat only emotions which

are free ofjudgment andattachmentare the onesthat dontaffect thebody

negatively.However,

restrainednegative

emotions candeviate our mental

energy and affect our mindand body negatively,sometimes leading to healthproblems. It is crucial toacknowledge our thoughtsand emotions tocomprehend the effects theycan impose on our bodies,behavior, and relationships.The human bodyreciprocates in the way itthinks, feels, and acts; this iswhat we call the mind-bodyconnection. If a person isdistressed, nervous, ortroubled their body willsignal that something iswrong. The symptomscould be a problem likehigh blood pressure,stomach ulcer, change indiet, insomnia, et al. Manypeople are afraid to expressstrong emotions becausethey fear losing control.This exercise can help youto own your emotions andlearn how to express themin a safe and healthy way—

Begin with identifyingwhat you are feeling in themoment.

Practise expressingyourself freely. Alwaysown your emotions.Never try and livein denial;whatever thesituation isalways face itwithout anyfear.

If at anypoint you arenot definiteabout yourself inthe company thentry expressing youremotions when you arealone. Once you are calmand sure about yourselfthen open up about yourfeelings.

Eventually put yourpractice to the test by usingit in challenging situations.Remember not to play theblame-game and always

remain open-mindedduring the conversation.

Calm your mind andbody. Relaxation

methods,such as

meditation, areuseful ways to bring youremotions into balance.Meditation is a form ofguided thought. It can takemany forms. For example,you may do it by exercising,stretching, or breathingdeeply. Ask your family

doctor for advice aboutrelaxation methods.

Take care of yourself. Tohave good emotional health,its important to look afteryour health. In order to doso, it is essential to consumenourishing meals, gettingenough sleep, and workingout to relieve the tensedmuscles and emotions.Another factor to keep inmind is to limit the usage ofdrugs and alcohol. Usingdrugs or alcohol will justadd to your problems.

In tough situations, it is vitalto keep up your spirit as it willenable you to experiencerough emotions like pain,sorrow, frustration, and griefwithout scattering. Spiritedpeople do not refuse themisery or suffering they areexperiencing; rather, theysustain a sense of positivitythat assists them to get thebetter of the negative effects.Some people have the ability

to look at stirring times withoptimism and promise,knowing that their adversitywill lead to personal growthand an expanded outlook onlife.

A well managedemotional state allows oneto be a contributing factorto society and work withcomplete efficiency. It canhelp you to be morecognisant and reap thebenefits of your fullpotential. Research providesevidence that a spiritedmental state promotescontrolled blood pressure,reduced risk of heartdisease, and a healthierweight.

(The author is apsychologist, qualifiedvictimologist and the

founder ofNirbhiya Ek Shakti,

an NGO which specialises in victim assistance.)

Anuja Kapurelaborates on the

mind-body connectionand shares ways to

prevent your emotionsfrom affecting your

health

DEALING

MARRIAGESWITH JEALOUSY IN

They say marriages aremade in heaven, butthere’s bound to be trou-

ble in paradise whenever twopeople merge their lives togeth-er! Any married couple willface troubles initially whenthey learn more about theirother half and create a wholenew life together. In thisprocess, insecurities, negativi-ty and jealousy are feelings thatmight pop up. Suppressingthem might do more damagethan you realise, as facing theseproblems head on is what isimperative for a resolution!Here are some tips to avoid thisnegative human emotion:

Listen

Most of the time, jealousyerupts from assumptions. Ifyou are feeling jealous aboutyour spouse, listen to theirpart of the story before ventingyour thoughts.

Address the root cause

It’s time to investigate theroot cause of the insecurity. Isit simply a matter of spending

more time with each other orhas the jealousy erupted froma sense of insecurity about themarriage?

Don’t worsen thesituation

If a certain action inducesjealousy, talk it out with yourspouse and try not to repeat itin the same manner in future.Neither defend yourself noroffend your spouse’s point ofview. Listen openly.

Jealousy is normal

It is important to discussfeelings with your spouse.Feelings of jealousy need not behidden. Talk about it with yourspouse because it is a normalhuman emotion.

Therapy

Follow your gut feelingand recognise when the feel-ing of jealousy is gettingabusive to you or yourspouse. If it is affecting otherareas of your life, a therapistcould help you with youremotions.

MondayNovember 22, 2021

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

sports 11VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | NOVEMBER 22, 2021

AP n TURIN

For the second time this year,Alexander Zverev has denied

Novak Djokovic the chance toplay for a big trophy.

Following up his win overthe top-ranked player in thesemifinals of the TokyoOlympics, Zverev beat Djokovic7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 at the same stageof the ATP Finals on Saturday.

“Every time we play againsteach other, it’s very high level,”Zverev said. “This year weplayed each other five times. ...Every time we played for mul-tiple hours and it was veryphysical.”

The result means Djokoviccan’t match Roger Federer’srecord of six titles at the season-ending event for the top eightplayers. At least not this year.

Instead, Zverev will playsecond-ranked Daniil Medvedevin Sunday’s final.

“He’s the greatest player ofall time and I think people for-get that sometimes,” Zverevsaid of Djokovic, who sharesthe record of 20 Grand Slamtitles with Roger Federer andRafael Nadal.

Medvedev, the U.S. Openchampion, beat first-time qual-ifier Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-2 ear-lier as he seeks to defend his titlein the first edition of the tour-

nament in Turin — after 12years in London.

Medvedev has won his lastfive meetings with Zverev,including a round-robin matchearlier this week that was decid-ed in a third-set tiebreaker.

Zverev won this event in2018.

Djokovic committed a seriesof uncharacteristic baselineerrors to hand Zverev the deci-sive break midway through thethird set.

Zverev then held his nerve,saving a break point, beforeserving a slicing ace down the Ton his first match point.

“I just had the one very badgame in the third set — threeforehand, one backhandunforced errors, really frompretty easy position,” Djokovic said.

The tone of the match,though, was set in the first set,after Zverev saved a set point at 4-5.

In the first-set tiebreaker, achallenge from Zverev forcedDjokovic to hit a second serveand resulted in a double fault.Then a backhand drop shotfrom Djokovic clipped the net and hopped over,enabling Zverev time to run itdown and reply with a sharplyangled forehand cross-courtwinner.

AP n BERLIN

Borussia Dortmund captainMarco Reus scored late to cut

the gap on Bundesliga leaderBayern Munich to a point with a2-1 win at home against Stuttgart.

Dortmund looked set for dis-appointment as it struggled totake advantage of Bayern’s shock2-1 loss at Augsburg the nightbefore, but Reus grabbed thehome team’s winner in the 85thminute when he tapped in therebound after Florian Müller hadsaved Thorgan Hazard’s initialeffort.

Dortmund was again withoutinjured star forward ErlingHaaland, who watched from thestands.

Dutch striker Donyell Malenscored his first Bundesliga goal

since joining Dortmund in theoffseason from PSV Eindhoven,but Stuttgart fought back throughRoberto Massimo before Reushad the final say.

“We stayed at it and wererewarded with the goal,”

Dortmund coach Marco Rosesaid.DERBY HONORS FOR UNION

Basking in the novelty of asold-out stadium, Union Berlindefeated crosstown rival HerthaBerlin 2-0 in a largely peaceful

derby and climbed to fifth.First-half goals from Taiwo

Awoniyi and captain ChristopherTrimmel were enough for Unionto claim the unofficial title of“Stadtmeister” (city champion)and leave Hertha floundering in13th place, far from the Europeanqualification spots it has targeted.

“We could have won 3-0 oreven 4-0. A fully deserved derbywin,” Union defender MarvinFriedrich said.

It was the first time since thecoronavirus pandemic began thatUnion was permitted to sell outits 22,012-capacity stadium, andthe first time that fans couldattend the Berlin derby sinceNovember 2019.

Memories of trouble at thatgame meant a large police pres-ence around the stadium.

PTI n NEW DELHI

An upbeat Karnataka standon the way of Tamil Nadu’s

bid to defend their title in thefinal of the Syed Mushtaq AliTrophy T20 cricket tourna-ment here on Monday in anexciting Southern derby.

The 2021 final will be arepeat of the 2019 SyedMushtaq Ali summit clash,which saw Karnataka edge outTamil Nadu by one run in athriller.

In the final of the delayed2020-21 edition earlier thisyear, Tamil Nadu had defeatedBaroda to lay their hands onthe coveted trophy.

Come Monday at the Arun

Jaitley stadium, Tamil Naduwill be aiming to exact revengefor their 2019 final loss anddefend their title whileKarnataka would be hoping towin a third SMA title.

And for that to happen,their opener Rohan Kadam,would need to come up withanother big knock, like the onehe played in the semi-finalagainst Vidarbha.

He and skipper ManishPandey would be hoping totame the strong and variedTamil Nadu attack and give theside a flying start.

The team would also behoping that their middle-orderclicks, as inconsistency hasbeen an issue. Karun Nair has

not been among the runs andhe would like to make hispresence felt. The likes of in-form Abhinav Manohar,Aniruddha Joshi and BRSharath will need to supportthe top order.

However, Karnataka wouldworry more about their bowl-ing attack, especially the paceunit comprising VidyadharPatil (4 wickets so far), VVyshak (7 wkts) and M BDarshan (6 wkts).

It is a rather inexperiencedtrio but they have done wellunder the circumstances andcarried the team into the finale.They will have their role cut outin the summit clash against aformidable TN batting unit.

Though Karnataka willmiss the experience and guileof K Gowtham (7 wickets)owing to his selection for theIndia ‘A’ team, the spin duo ofKC Cariappa (10 wickets) andJ Suchith (6 wkts) will be cru-cial to the team’s prospectsand their eight overs could havea bearing on the outcome.

Tamil Nadu, on the otherhand, have been in good formin the tournament.

It has been a team perfor-mance thus far with differentplayers contributing at variousstages. Yet, a lot would dependon the start provided by thedynamic duo of N Jagadeesan(163 runs, 1 fifty) and C HariNishaanth (177) and how new-

bie B Sai Sudharsan (173 runs)can build on it.

Skipper Vijay Shankarleads the run-scoring charts forTN with 181 (1 fifty, 14 bound-aries and 8 sixes from fivematches). He can turn a matcharound with his batting abili-ties alone and will look tounleash some big ones to helpthe team defend the title.

Also, the power-hitting ofM Shahrukh Khan has come inhandy for the team at times andhe will be one to watch out ifthe top-order fails to fire.

The team will be sweatingover the availability of left-armpacer T Natarajan, who missedthe last two matches owing toa niggle.

PTI n KOLKATA

Fast bowler Deepak Chaharand young wicket-keeper

batter Ishan Kishan have been added to India Asquad, that will travel to SouthAfrica for three four-day Testmatches.

Deepak and Ishan are inKolkata for the third T20Iagainst New Zealand and willleave with the squad onNovember 23.

“Yes, Deepak and Ishanhave been drafted to the squad.They will finish the match inKolkata and link up with the Ateam before they leave for

South Africa,” a senior BCCIofficial confirmed the develop-ment to PTI.

It is understood that Ishanis being sent because theChetan Sharma-led committee,by mistake, had kept only onewicket-keeper for the ‘A’ tour inRailways’ Upendra Yadav.

“They needed a secondkeeper and who is better thanIshan. He probably now wouldbe first keeper and rightly so,”another official said.

Deepak has not played a lotof red ball cricket but with his ability to swing theball, selectors want to keep himbusy.

PTI n DUBAI

Australian GeoffAllardice has been

appointed as permanentCEO of the InternationalCricket Council after serv-ing the role on an interimbasis for more than eightmonths, the game’s govern-ing body said on Sunday.

Allardice thus replacedManu Sawhney, who hadresigned from his positionin July.

“It’s a great privilege tobe appointed as the CEO ofthe ICC and I would like tothank Greg and the ICC

Board for the opportunityto lead the sport as we enteran exciting new phase ofgrowth,” Allardice said in arelease issued by the gov-erning body.

“My continued focuswill be on doing the rightthing for our sport andworking closely with members to deliver long-term success and sustain-ability.

“I would also like tothank the ICC staff fortheir commitment and sup-port over the last eightmonths and I’m lookingforward to continuing to

serve cricket with such atalented team.” Allardice, aformer Australian first-classcricketer and administrator,was the ICC GeneralManager, Cricket for eightyears. He had previously

held a similar role atCricket Australia.

“I am delighted thatGeoff has agreed to take therole of ICC CEO on a per-manent basis,” GregBarclay, ICC Chair said.

“He has shown tremen-dous leadership during an extremely chal-lenging period culminatingin the successful delivery ofthe ICC Men’s T20 WorldCup 2021.

“Geoff has unrivaledknowledge of the globalcricket landscape and itsstakeholders and has con-sistently demonstrated he isthe right person to work inpartnership with our mem-bers to shape the sport forthe next decade as weembark on delivering anew strategy and our nextcommercial rights cycle.”

AP n BARCELONA

Xavi Hernández neededa penalty to start his

return to Camp Nou asBarcelona coach in win-ning fashion.

Barcelona’s 1-0 winagainst Espanyol onSaturday began the wayXavi wanted, with his teamdominating the ball like theSpain great had when hejoined Lionel Messi andAndrés Iniesta to forge oneof soccer’s greatest sides asits midfield maestro.

But the same prob-lems that had led to thedemise of his predecessorsoon emerged.

Barcelona’s attack failedto turn its huge advantagein possession into shots ongoal other than MemphisDepay’s second-half penal-

ty, while its defense cameapart in the final stretch.Only Espanyol’s misfiringforwards stopped theCatalan derby from endingin a draw.

“Overall, I am happy,but it is clear that we haveto improve,” Xavi said. “Weare building a new projectand these three points in aderby gives us a boost. Itwas tough because theycould have scored. We werein control for 60, 70 min-utes, but we should havebeen more patient and heldonto the ball. It is a ques-tion of knowing how tointerpret the match.”

The crowd of 74,000chanted “Xavi! Xavi!” in thesixth minute in honor ofthe number Xavi wore for17 seasons when he helpedBarcelona win 25 titles. He

was hired two weeks agobefore an internationalbreak for club competi-tion when Ronald Koemanwas let go after one toomany painful defeats.

Barcelona moved intosixth place in the Spanishleague, eight points behindleader Sevilla and second-place Real Sociedad.

Ivan Rakitic’s stoppage-time goal lifted Sevilla tothe top of the table after

fighting back for a 2-2home draw with Alavés.

Atlético Madrid alsoneeded a late goal by cen-ter back Felipe Monteiro toedge Osasuna 1-0 at home.

XAVI’S CHANGESXavi is back after six

years playing and coachingQatar as the man Barcelonahopes can restore the teamto greatness after years ofdecline.

The former midfielderhad said that he wouldoffer a surprise in his start-ing lineup with so many ofhis attacking players outwith health issues. And hedid not disappoint by giv-ing a debut to 17-year-oldreserve-team forward IliasAkhomach, who made thestarting lineup to help fill infor the absent Ansu Fati,Ousmane Dembelé, SergioAgüero and MartinBraithwaite.

A slick pass by 17-year-old Gavi Páez to playDepay clear in the 48thminute was one of the fewmoments of inspiration bya Barcelona player in theopposing area.

Gavi was one of sever-al young players thatKoeman brought into thefirst team. Xavi had said

that he would use the tal-ented teenager as a “wildcard,” and he played Gavion the left side of his attackin a new position for thenatural midfielder.

Gavi’s pass left Depaysizing up goalkeeper DiegoLópez when Espanyoldefender Leandro Cabreraslid and took him down.Depay took his league tallyto seven goals when he senthis spot kick to his rightwhile López stretched theother way.

After barely touchingthe ball in the first half,Espanyol had two excellentchances to grab a lateequalizer. But substituteLandy Dimata headedwide from point-blankrange before Spain strikerRaúl de Tomás hit thepost.

“A draw would havebeen a fair result, but soc-cer is about scoring and wecouldn’t get the ball in,”said De Tomás.

Barcelona hostsBenfica on Tuesday seekinga win that will seal theCatalan club’s spot in theknockout rounds.

SEVILLA WINSAlavés was poised to

get only its second-evervictory at Sánchez PizjuánStadium when Rakiticfired home a ball that fellto him from a poorlydefended cross.

The draw left Sevillaahead of Sociedad on goaldifference. Sociedad playsValencia on Sunday, whenReal Madrid can alsomove ahead of Sevilla if itwins at Granada.

PTI n KAMPALA

India’s Sukant Kadam claimed a gold after two yearsat the Uganda Para Badminton International, while

compatriot Pramod Bhagat settled for three silvers hereon Sunday. World No. 5 Kadam defeated fellow IndianNilesh Balu Gaikwad 21-16 17-21 21-10 in 38 minutesin men’s singles summit clash in the SL4 category.

“It was a good match and it feels good to break thejinx and win a gold medal after 2 years. This will moti-vate me to work harder,” Kadam said. World numberone Bhagat had a tough day in office as the TokyoParalympics gold medallist lost all his three finals.

In the men’s singles SL3 finals, Bhagat was defeat-ed by his doubles partner Manoj Sarkar in a tight game.

The game went to the wire and ultimately Bhagatlost 19-21 16-21.

In the men’s doubles, Bhagat and Sarkar lost 21-1020-22 15-21 to their Indian counterparts MohammadArwaz Ansari and Deep Ranjan Bisoyee.

PTI n KOLKATA

New Zealand batter Ross Taylorbelieves playing India in their own

backyard is one of the toughest chal-lenges for any side but refused to giveinsights about their plan to tackle pre-mier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwinduring the upcoming Test series.

India and inaugural World Testchampions New Zealand will square offin a two-Test series beginning onNovember 25 in Kanpur.

The contest is part of the secondWTC cycle. “Definitely looking for-ward to, definitely going to be a chal-lenge. I think there is no harderassignment than playing India at homeor Australia away. They are probablythe two toughest challenges in Test

cricket at the moment.“But as group we are looking for-

ward to that and we know we are theunderdogs but we will be looking for-ward to putting in a good perfor-mance,” Taylor said on Sunday.

“Any time you play India at home,you will always gonna be the underdogswhether you are world no.1 or not.”

The veteran Kiwi batter said tack-ing Indian spin duo of Ashwin andAxar Patel will be key to New Zealand’ssuccess in the Test series.

“I don’t want to give my secretsaway just here (on being asked what’shis plan for Ashwin). I don’t know whatlineup India decide to go with, AxarPatel played a big role against England,”Taylor said in a virtual press conference.

“Now they are going to play threespinners or two spinners, obviouslyAshwin will be one of them. They arevery good bowlers, especially in theseconditions and how we will play them,will play a big part in how the series isgonna go.”

Zverev denies Djokovic another

chance to earn a big title

Xavi starts as Barcelona coach by beating Espanyol

Sukant wins gold, Pramodends up with 3 silver medals

Dortmund closes gap on Bayern; Union wins Berlin derby 2-0

Defending champion TN faces Karnataka in Southern derby Chahar, Kishan to join India A forred ball series in South Africa

Taylor in no mood to divulge his secrets ICC appoints Geoff Allardice as permanent CEO

AP n LOSAIL

Lewis Hamilton inched closer to theFormula One championship lead with

a dominating victory Sunday in the inau-gural Qatar Grand Prix to earn back-to-backwins and chip away at Max Verstappen’spoints advantage.

Hamilton, who also won last week inBrazil, has trimmed 17 points fromVerstappen’s lead in the title race in a week.Verstappen still holds an eight-point leadwith two races remaining in one of the mostdramatic F1 title fights in at least a decade.

“I’m really, really grateful for thesepoints. It’s been a hell of a year,” Hamiltonsaid. “To be at this point in the year and haveback-to-back wins is a great feeling.”

The seven-time champion started frompole for Mercedes and was never challengedon the Losail International Circuit asHamilton won his 102nd career race. It washis seventh victory of the season.

Verstappen finished second for RedBull, nearly 25 seconds behind Hamilton.

“It was pretty lonely at the front,”Hamilton said.

Verstappen was hit with a penaltybefore the race even began when he wasdropped five spots on the starting grid forviolating a yellow flag in Saturday’s quali-fying.

The Dutchman had qualified secondbut the stewards ordered him to drop backon the grid following Sunday hearings forVerstappen, Valtteri Bottas and CarlosSainz.

All three were accused of not followingyellow flag rules near the end of qualifying.Bottas, who had qualified third, was penal-ized three starting sports. Sainz was notpenalized.

Red Bull was mystified by the gridpenalty for Verstappen, who lost anychance to challenge Hamilton for the winwhen he was penalized. Red Bull principalChristian Horner criticized the penaltywhen it was handed down.

“We’re really struggling to understandit,” Horner said. “That’s a crucial blow in thisworld championship for us.”

PTI n KOLKATA

Rohit Sharma batted in styleand led with panache to

script a near perfect tale on hisfull-time captaincy debut as Indiahanded T20 World Cup runners-up New Zealand the ignominy ofa 3-0 series defeat after a 73-runwin in the third T20International here on Sunday.

The Indian skipper firstmade a statement scoring 56 off31 balls in India’s 184 for 7 andthen made some immaculatecaptaincy calls which witnessedNew Zealand’s surrender for apaltry 111 runs in 17.2 overs.

It was a second back-to-back bilateral T20I series triumphwith a clean sweep for India afterbeating the Black Caps 5-0 intheir own den in 2020.

Axar Patel (3/9) bowledaccurately and also got one toturn as his three wickets inPowerplay literally ended NewZealand’s resistance and the restwas a mere formality.

The New Zealand teamlooked bone tired after a gru-

elling T20 World Cup campaignand the result won’t be a fairreflection of the team’s capabili-ties as they went through themotions for the better part of thethree games.

For India, who were aimingto reset the button, the series winwill certainly give them a few

pointers going forward.For Rohit and head coach

Rahul Dravid, this series wasabout checking what kind ofammunition they have goingforward.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar andRavichandran Ashwin’s return toform in white ball cricket augurs

well as there is no substitute forexperience.

Venkatesh Iyer has shownpotential and needs to be persist-ed with. He bowled steadily andneeds more game time to becomea middle-order enforcer havingbeen a top-order player.

Harshal Patel is a welcomeaddition with his sincere effortsbut the middle order still remainsa bit iffy as it didn’t perform upto expectation in any of thegames.

A few like Ruturaj Gaikwadand Avesh Khan went untestedbut the skipper will surely use allhis options going forward.

But what he has shown likehis predecessor Virat Kohli isability to walk the talk with per-formances that his mates willlook up to.

When India batted, Rohit’simperious form was on full dis-play as he laid the platform for anabove par score.

In his bid to test the team’scharacter by batting first, theskipper led the way with fivefours and three sixes in his sub-

lime knock but despite a blazingstart, the Indians stuttered in themiddle overs before HarshalPatel (18 off 11 balls) and DeepakChahar (21 not out off 8 balls)used their long handles whichfetched 50 runs in last five overs.

Ishan Kishan (29 off 21balls), Shreyas Iyer (25 off 20balls) and Venkatesh (20 off 15balls) all got starts but couldn’tconvert it into a big score.

Having got two flashy back-to-back boundaries off the veryfirst over by Trent Boult, therewas no looking back for Rohit.

There was no preferentialtreatment as all the fast bowlerswere treated with equal disdainas he and Kishan made full useof the of the Powerplay overs,which yielded 69 runs.

Rohit pulled Boult behindsquare for his first six and hitAdam Milne (0/47 in 4 overs)over long-on for the secondmaximum and the third offLockie Ferguson was another pullbehind the square into the standbelow the giant electronic score-board.

INDIA BEAT NZ, SEAL SERIES 3-0 Hamilton wins in Qatar

arasimhaNandamuriBalakrishna and massdirector Boyapati Srinu’smost awaited film Akhanda is all set for

theatrical release on December 2nd. The film’s censor works were also doneand it was awarded with U/A certificate.

Censor officials have appreciated themakers for the grand visuals and dramain the movie.

Balakrishna who previously didnumerous mass and action roles came upwith his best performance. Needless tosay, his Aghora character is going to bringmass madness to theatres!

Jagapathi Babu and other actorstoo performed well, whileThaman’s music and richproduction values are theother big assets.

Balakrishna and Boyapaticollaborated for the thirdtime to complete hat-trick hits in theircombination.Miryala RavinderReddy is producing

Akhanda viaDwaraka Creations.

The theatricaltrailer of themovie which wasrevealed lastweek gotthumpingresponse.

fter her cameoin Most EligibleBachelor, FariaAbdullah isback with a spe-cial song in

Nagarjuna’s Bangarraju.This time, it will be herfirst time that she will beshowcasing her dancingkills on the silver screen!The details will be outsoon.

Faria’s dancing movesalready garnered apprecia-tion from her fans so manytimes. “I would hear that

my mom used to dancewhen she was carrying me;maybe that’s how my inter-est in dance began,” saysthe talented actress.

The film Bangarrajuwhich is a prequel to theblockbuster film SoggadeChinni Nayana is touted tobe a wholesome familyentertainer. Expectationsof the upcoming film arehigh as the father-son duoof Nagarjuna and NagaChaitanya are comingtogether for the secondtime.

Dubbing for Allu Arjun's

Pushpa: the rise is infull swing! The film

enters post production phasesoon after the final shooting

of its 5th song. Amidrumours that the team is

working overtime toreach their release date

on December 17, themakers recently

released a newsong, Ey bidda idina Adda which is

going viralonline.

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Vijayawada Monday November 22, 2021

ctor Kartikeya tied the knot to his fiance LohithaReddy in Hyderabad today. The groom Kartikeyacan be seen dressed in a cream and gold sherwani,& the wedding happened in a very plush manner.Chiranjeevi was one of the first celebrities to arriveat the star-studded wedding on Sunday morning.

Kartikeya Gummakonda shot to fame with a sensational hit,RX100. He and Lohitha fell in love when they werestudying together at NationalEngineering College in Warangal.Meanwhile, on the work-front,he will next be seen inTamil superstar AjithKumar’s biggieValmai.

KARTHIKEYA,longtime girlfriend say ‘I do'

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Dubbing forPushpa

underway

tollywood

With RanaDaggubati andSai Pallavi in the

lead roles, the movieVirata Parvam has beenin talks for an OTTrelease for a while now.

The movie was com-pleted earlier and wassupposed to hit thescreens during summer.But due to the secondwave of the pandemic,

the makers had to pushthe release date forward,which kept the releaseshelved for a while.

There were talks thatthe makers are eyeing torelease the movie on theOTT platform. As per thereports, director VenuUdugula has confirmedthat the movie VirataParvam would get a the-atrical release before its

OTT release.The reports suggest

that the makers wouldannounce the release datesoon.

The makers will soonresume the post-produc-tion work and then startpromotional events.Billed as a period lovestory, the movie is tofeature Rana in the roleof a revolutionary leader.

Faria Abdullah is backwith a special song inNagarjuna's Bangarraju

amanam, the debut directorial venture of Sujana Rao, istouted to be a real-life drama and it is made as pan Indiaentertainer in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam andHindi languages. Shriya Saran, Shiva Kandukuri,Priyanka Jawalkar and Nithya Menen are the lead cast of

the movie.Today, the makers have announced to release Gamanam in

theatres on December 10th. Although it is a Pan-India project, the makers are releasing only Telugu version on

the day.Gamanam is a compilation that recounts to three stories.

While Shriya Saran features one of the narratives, the secondstory tells love saga of Shiva Kandukuri, Priyanka Jawalkarand the third story follows orphan kids born and raised in aslum.

Sujana Rao picked an interesting and sensitive concept thatmakes everyone emotive. Each story has its own significancewith heart-touching emotions.

Ace writer Sai Madhav Burra penned dialogues, whilemaestro Ilayaraja scored music and Gnana Shekar V.S. han-dled the cinematography. Aspiring producers RameshKarutoori and Venki Pushadapu in collaboration with GnanaShekar V.S. have produced the movie under the banners KriaFilm Corp. and Kali Productions. Trailer of the movie waswell-received among family audience.

AkhandareceivesU/A censorcertificate

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RC15 gainsmomentum!

am Charan-Shanikar’s,rumoured to havebeen named‘Viswambhara’, pro-ject referred to as

RC15 is progressing at aquick pace! The RamCharan- Kiara Advani pair-ing is on sets in Hyderabad.

Tollywood buzz has itthat Ram Charan will beseen in a dual role and inone role as a CBI officer.With Dil Raju bankrollingthe project and Thamancomposing the tunes, themovie’s crew is a recipe forsuccess. The film’s secondschedule is underway, andZee studio is now fundingthe movie along with SriVenkateswara creations.

ZEE Studios is aggres-sively entering intoTollywood and is alreadyco-producing Nagarjuna’sBangarraju, and as Dil Rajuis busy producing multipleprojects, he has also decid-ed to collaborate with ZeeStudios. RC15 stars SureshGopi, Esha Gupta, Anjali,Srikanth, Jayaram, Sunil,Naveen Chandra in

important roles.

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Gamanam's releasedate gets finalized

Viratam Parvam to be released in theatres